Handheld electronic device

ABSTRACT

A mobile phone may include an enclosure defining an internal volume, the enclosure including a front cover formed from a transparent material and defining a front exterior surface, a rear cover formed from a glass material and defining a rear exterior surface, and a housing component defining a side exterior surface. The mobile phone may include a circuit board assembly within the internal volume. The circuit board assembly may include a circuit board, a circuit component coupled to an exterior surface of the circuit board, and a cowling coupled to the circuit board and covering the circuit component, the cowling having a thickness less than about 0.5 mm and including a base structure formed from an aluminum alloy having a thickness less than about 0.4 mm and a thermally conductive structure positioned over the base structure and configured to dissipate heat.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a nonprovisional patent application of and claimsthe benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/298,182, filedJan. 10, 2022 and titled “Handheld Electronic Device,” the disclosure ofwhich is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

The subject matter of this disclosure relates generally to handheldelectronic devices, and more particularly, to mobile phones.

BACKGROUND

Modern consumer electronic devices take many shapes and forms, and havenumerous uses and functions. Smartphones, for example, provide variousways for users to interact with other people that extend beyondtelephone communications. Such devices may include numerous systems tofacilitate such interactions. For example, a smartphone may include atouch-sensitive display for providing graphical outputs and foraccepting touch inputs, wireless communications systems for connectingwith other devices to send and receive voice and data content, camerasfor capturing photographs and videos, and so forth. However, integratingthese subsystems into a compact and reliable product that is able towithstand daily use presents a variety of technical challenges. Thesystems and techniques described herein may address many of thesechallenges while providing a device that offers a wide range offunctionality.

SUMMARY

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including ahousing component and a front cover coupled to the housing component anddefining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device. Theportable electronic device may also include a display positioned belowthe front cover, the display defining an active display region, a firsthole surrounded by the active display region, and a second holesurrounded by the active display region. The portable electronic devicemay also include a first optical sensor positioned below the front coverand below the first hole, a second optical sensor positioned below thefront cover and below the second hole, and a touch-sensing componentconfigured to detect a first touch input applied to the front cover inthe active display region of the display and a second touch inputapplied to the front cover over the first hole in the display.

The touch-sensing component may be further configured to detect a thirdtouch input applied to the front cover over the second hole in thedisplay. The portable electronic device may further include a lightemitter positioned below the front cover and below the first hole andconfigured to emit light onto an object, and the first optical sensormay be configured to receive a portion of the emitted light reflectedfrom the object. The second touch input may be detected over the firstoptical sensor, and the touch-sensing component may be furtherconfigured to detect a fourth touch input applied to the front coverover the light emitter.

The portable electronic device may also include an opaque maskpositioned below the front cover and defining a first opening positionedover the first hole, and a second opening positioned over the secondhole. The portable electronic device may further include a polymercoating layer positioned on an interior surface of the front cover, andthe opaque mask may be positioned on the polymer coating layer. Thepolymer coating layer may define a textured surface, and the opaque maskmay be positioned on the textured surface and conforms to the texturedsurface.

A mobile phone may include an enclosure including a housing componentand a front cover coupled to the housing component and defining adisplay region and a front-facing sensor region surrounded by thedisplay region. The portable electronic device may also include atouch-sensing component below the front cover, including a display layerdefining a graphically active region configured to display graphicaloutputs in the display region and a touch sensing layer defining a firsttouch-sensitive region configured to detect touch inputs applied to thegraphically active region, and a second touch-sensitive regionconfigured to detect touch inputs applied to a graphically inactiveregion of the front-facing sensor region. The touch inputs applied tothe graphically inactive region of the front-facing sensor region mayinclude a gesture input. The gesture input may be a swipe input.

The mobile phone may further include a first optical sensor positionedin the front-facing sensor region and a second optical sensor positionedin the front-facing sensor region, and the touch-sensing component maydefine a first hole positioned over the first optical sensor and asecond hole positioned over the second optical sensor. The touch inputsapplied to the graphically inactive region of the front-facing sensorregion may include a first touch input applied over the first opticalsensor and a second touch input applied over the second optical sensor.The mobile phone may be configured to perform a first action in responseto detecting the first touch input applied over the first optical sensorand perform a second action different from the first action in responseto detecting the second touch input applied over the second opticalsensor.

The mobile phone may further include a light emitter positioned in thefront-facing sensor region, and the touch-sensing component may define athird hole positioned over the light emitter. A first portion of thesecond touch-sensitive region may be positioned between the first holeand the second hole and a second portion of the second touch-sensitiveregion may be positioned between the second hole and the third hole.

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a frontcover, a first optical component positioned below a first region of thefront cover and configured to receive light through the first region ofthe front cover, a second optical component positioned below a secondregion of the front cover and configured to receive light though thesecond region of the front cover, and a display component positionedbelow the front cover. The display component may define a first holepositioned over the first optical component and a second hole positionedover the second optical component. The display component may beconfigured to output a first graphical output in a first display regionthat extends around the first hole and the second hole, and output asecond graphical output in a second display region that is locatedbetween the first hole and the second hole. The second graphical outputmay be displayed in response to the portable electronic device receivinga notification event. Prior to receiving the notification event, thesecond display region may display no graphical output. Prior toreceiving the notification event, the second display region may displaya third graphical output. The portable electronic device may furtherinclude a touch-sensitive component positioned below the front cover anddefining a first hole positioned over the first optical component and asecond hole positioned over the second optical component. Thetouch-sensitive component may be configured to detect an input appliedto the front cover in the first display region and detect an inputapplied to the front cover in the second display region.

A mobile phone may include a display, wireless communication circuitry,a battery, and an enclosure enclosing the display, the wirelesscommunication circuitry, and the battery. The enclosure may include afront cover formed from a transparent material and defining a frontexterior surface of the mobile phone, a rear cover formed from a glassmaterial and defining a rear exterior surface of the mobile phone, and afirst housing component including a first wall section defining a firstside exterior surface of the mobile phone, a second wall sectiondefining a second side exterior surface opposite to the first sideexterior surface, and a mid-chassis section extending between the firstwall section and the second wall section. The enclosure may furtherinclude a second housing component positioned at a first end of thefirst housing component and defining a first exterior corner surface,and a third housing component positioned at the first end of the firsthousing component and defining a second exterior corner surface.

The first wall section, the second wall section and the mid-chassissection of the first housing component may be integrally formed from afirst metal material, the second housing component may be formed from asecond metal material, and the third housing component may be formedfrom a third metal material. The enclosure may further include a firstintermediate element positioned between the first and second housingcomponents and formed from a first polymer material, and a secondintermediate element positioned between the first and third housingcomponents and formed from a second polymer material. The first wallsection, the second wall section, and the mid-chassis section may beintegrally formed from an extrusion of the first metal material.

The wireless communication circuitry may be operably coupled to thesecond housing component and the third housing component, and the secondand third housing components may be configured to operate as radiatingantenna elements for the wireless communication circuitry. The displaymay be positioned at a first side of the mid-chassis section, and thebattery may be positioned at a second side of the mid-chassis sectionopposite the first side.

The mobile phone may further include a circuit board assembly coupled tothe mid-chassis section, and a thermal bridge thermally coupling thecircuit board assembly to the mid-chassis section. The thermal bridgemay be positioned proximate a first side of the circuit board assembly,and the first side of the circuit board assembly may be opposite asecond side of the circuit board assembly positioned proximate the firstwall section of the first housing component. The thermal bridge mayinclude a graphite material coupled to the circuit board assembly and tothe mid-chassis section of the first housing component. The thermalbridge may be offset inward from the first wall section.

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure defining aninterior cavity and including a front cover assembly defining a frontexterior surface of the enclosure, a rear cover assembly defining a rearexterior surface of the enclosure, and a middle housing component formedfrom an extruded metal material. The middle housing component mayinclude a first wall section defining a first side exterior surface ofthe enclosure, a second wall section defining a second side exteriorsurface opposite the first side exterior surface, and a mid-chassissection integrally formed with the first wall section and the secondwall section and defining at least a portion of the interior cavity. Theportable electronic device may further include a battery positionedwithin interior cavity of the enclosure and thermally coupled to themid-chassis section, a display positioned below the front coverassembly, and a camera array positioned below the rear cover assembly.

The front cover assembly may include a glass-ceramic sheet defining adisplay region and a metal frame coupled to the glass-ceramic sheet andsurrounding the display region, the metal frame including an array oftabs structurally coupled to the middle housing component. A first tabof the array of tabs may be structurally coupled to a first springcoupling element attached to the middle housing component, and the firsttab of the array of tabs may be electrically coupled to the first springcoupling element.

The portable electronic device may further include an optical facialrecognition system configured to detect facial features of a user, themid-chassis section may define an opening, and the optical facialrecognition system may be positioned below the front cover assembly andat least partially within the opening. The mid-chassis section maydefine a first surface that faces the front cover assembly and a secondsurface opposite the first surface, and the optical facial recognitionsystem may be coupled to the second surface. The enclosure may furtherinclude a first housing component positioned at a first end of themiddle housing component and defining a first exterior corner surface,and a second housing component positioned at the first end of the middlehousing component and defining a second exterior corner surface.

An electronic device may include an enclosure including a front coverformed from a first glass material and defining a front exterior surfaceof the enclosure, a rear cover formed from a second glass material anddefining a rear exterior surface of the enclosure, and a housingcomponent. The housing component may include a mid-chassis sectionpartially defining a first cavity between the mid-chassis section andthe front cover and partially defining a second cavity between themid-chassis section and the rear cover, a first wall section positionedalong a first side of the mid-chassis section and defining a first sideexterior surface of the enclosure, and a second wall section positionedalong a second side of the mid-chassis section and defining a secondside exterior surface of the enclosure. The electronic device mayfurther include a display coupled to the front cover, a circuit boardassembly positioned in the second cavity and thermally coupled to themid-chassis section, and a battery positioned in the second cavity andstructurally coupled to the mid-chassis section. The first glassmaterial may be a glass-ceramic material, and the second glass materialmay be an alkali-aluminosilicate material.

The mid-chassis section may define a plate structure and an array ofmounting bosses integrally formed with the plate structure, and thecircuit board assembly may be coupled to the array of mounting bosses bya set of threaded fasteners. The electronic device may further include athermal bridge formed from a thermally conductive material, and thethermal bridge may be positioned between the circuit board assembly andthe mid-chassis section. The thermal bridge may be positioned proximateto a midline of the mid-chassis section. Thermal bridge may be a firstthermal bridge formed from a first thermally conductive material, andthe electronic device may further include a second thermal bridge formedfrom a second thermally conductive material and positioned between thecircuit board assembly and the mid-chassis section.

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a frontcover defining a front exterior surface, and a display positioned belowthe front cover and including a set of transparent conductive tracespositioned in a graphically active region of the display and including afirst plurality of transparent conductive traces and a second pluralityof transparent conductive traces oriented perpendicular to the firstplurality of transparent conductive traces. The portable electronicdevice may further include a proximity sensor including an opticalemitter below the display and configured to emit light through thedisplay and through the front cover, and an optical receiver below thedisplay and configured to receive, through the display and through thefront cover, a reflected portion of the emitted light. The opticalemitter may be arranged relative to the optical receiver along adirection oblique to the first plurality of transparent conductivetraces and to the second plurality of transparent conductive traces.

The proximity sensor may be configured to detect a proximity of anobject to the front exterior surface. The optical emitter may be a laseremitter configured to emit light having a wavelength between about 1300nanometers and about 1400 nanometers. The display may include asubstrate, and the first plurality of transparent conductive traces maybe positioned on the substrate. The display may be an organiclight-emitting diode (OLED) display, the first plurality of transparentconductive traces may be a set of anodes for the OLED display, and thesecond plurality of transparent conductive traces may be a set ofcathodes for the OLED display.

The display may include a touch sensor, the first plurality oftransparent conductive traces may be a first set of electrodes for thetouch sensor, and the second plurality of transparent conductive tracesmay be a second set of electrodes for the touch sensor. The display mayinclude an opaque backing layer defining a first hole and a second hole,the optical emitter may be positioned below the first hole, and theoptical receiver may be positioned below the second hole.

A mobile phone may include an enclosure including a housing componentand a transparent cover coupled to the housing component and defining adisplay region and a front-facing sensor region surrounded by thedisplay region. The mobile phone may further include a display below thetransparent cover and defining a graphically active region configured todisplay graphical outputs in the display region. The display may includea grid of conductive traces including a first set of conductive tracesextending along a first direction and a second set of conductive tracesextending along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.The mobile phone may further include a proximity sensor positioned belowthe graphically active region of the display and including a pair ofoptical components positioned along a third direction that is oblique tothe first direction and to the second direction, the pair of opticalcomponents including an optical emitter configured to emit light throughthe display and an optical receiver configured to receive a reflectedportion of the emitted light through the display. Conductive traces ofthe first set of conductive traces and of the second set of conductivetraces may be formed from an optically transmissive conductive material.

The third direction may be oriented at 45 degrees from the firstdirection and the second direction. The proximity sensor may beconfigured to detect a proximity of an object to the transparent coverbased at least in part on a characteristic of the reflected portion ofthe emitted light.

The display may include an opaque layer defining a first hole having afirst size and a second hole having a second size greater than the firstsize, the optical emitter may be positioned below the first hole, andthe optical receiver may be positioned below the second hole. A firstside of the second hole may extend along a fourth direction that isoblique to the first direction and to the second direction, and a secondside of the second hole may extend along a fifth direction that may beoblique to the first direction.

The mobile phone may further include a bracket structure within theenclosure and defining a first wall section extending along a fourthdirection parallel to the third direction, and the proximity sensor mayinclude a housing defining a second wall section extending along a fifthdirection parallel to the third direction, the second wall section setapart from the first wall section by a gap.

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a frontcover defining a front exterior surface and a display positioned belowthe front cover and including one or more electrode layers. The one ormore electrode layers may include a first plurality of transparentconductive traces and a second plurality of transparent conductivetraces oriented perpendicular to the first plurality of transparentconductive traces. The display may further include an opaque layerpositioned below the one or more electrode layers and defining a pair ofholes extending through the opaque layer and oriented along a directionoblique to the first plurality of transparent conductive traces and tothe second plurality of transparent conductive traces. The portableelectronic device may further include an optical emitter positionedbelow a first hole of the pair of holes and configured to emit lightthrough the first hole, and an optical receiver positioned below asecond hole of the pair of holes and configured to detect a proximity ofan object to the portable electronic device based at least in part on areflected portion of the light emitted by the optical emitter. The lightemitted by the optical emitter may have a wavelength between about 1300nanometers and about 1400 nanometers.

The second hole may be larger than the first hole. Transparentconductive traces of the first plurality of transparent conductivetraces and of the second plurality of transparent conductive traces mayinclude indium tin oxide. The display may be an organic light-emittingdiode (OLED) display, the first plurality of transparent conductivetraces may be a set of anodes for the OLED display, and the secondplurality of transparent conductive traces may be a set of cathodes forthe OLED display. The optical receiver may be configured to detect theproximity of the object to the portable electronic device while thedisplay may be producing a graphical output above the first hole and thesecond hole.

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including a frontcover defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronicdevice and a rear cover defining a rear exterior surface of the portableelectronic device. The portable electronic device may further include arear-facing camera and a rear-facing flash including a light emittingcomponent defining a plurality of illuminable regions. The lightemitting component may be configured to illuminate a first subset of theplurality of illuminable regions to illuminate a first field of view andilluminate a second subset of the plurality of illuminable regions, thesecond subset different from the first subset, to illuminate a secondfield of view different from the first field of view.

The rear-facing camera may be a first rear-facing camera having thefirst field of view, the portable electronic device may further includea second rear-facing camera having the second field of view and a thirdrear-facing camera having a third field of view different from the firstfield of view and different from the second field of view. The lightemitting component may be configured to illuminate the first field ofview while capturing a first image with the first rear-facing camera,illuminate the second field of view while capturing a second image withthe second rear-facing camera, and illuminate a third subset of theplurality of illuminable regions, the third subset different from thefirst subset and the second subset, to illuminate the third field ofview while capturing a third image with the third rear-facing camera.The rear-facing flash may include a flash lens positioned over the lightemitting component, the first subset of the plurality of illuminableregions may be a first illuminable region positioned under a center ofthe flash lens, the second subset of the plurality of illuminableregions may be positioned about a periphery of the first illuminableregion, and the third subset of the plurality of illuminable regions maybe positioned about the periphery of the first illuminable region. Theplurality of illuminable regions may include an array of illuminableregions arranged in a grid.

The rear-facing flash may further include a flash lens and a flashwindow over the flash lens. The flash window may define an exteriorside, and an interior side having a plurality of ridges configured toproduce a pattern visible from the exterior side of the flash window.The plurality of ridges may be concentric ridges. A ridge of theplurality of ridges may be defined by a peak having a first sideextending from the flash window at a first angle and a second sideextending from the flash window at a second angle, the first angle andthe second angle having a same magnitude and an opposite sign.

A mobile phone may include a display, an enclosure at least partiallyenclosing the display. The enclosure may include a housing component, afront cover coupled to the housing component and positioned over thedisplay, and a rear cover coupled to the housing component. The mobilephone may further include a rear-facing camera having a field of viewand configured to capture an image of a scene, and a rear-facing flashconfigured to illuminate the scene and including a light emittingcomponent, a lens over the light emitting component and configured toproject light emitted by the light emitting component to produce a floodof light corresponding to the field of view of the rear-facing camera,and a flash window over the lens. The flash window may define anexterior side, and an interior side having a series of concentriccircular ridges, the series of concentric circular ridges including aridge defined by a symmetrical peak extending from the interior side ofthe flash window. An air gap may be defined between the flash window andthe lens.

The symmetrical peak may have a first side extending from the interiorside of the flash window at a first angle and a second side extendingfrom the interior side of the flash window at a second angle, the firstangle and the second angle having a same magnitude and an opposite sign.The ridge may be a first ridge, the symmetrical peak may be a firstsymmetrical peak, and the series of concentric circular ridges mayfurther include a second ridge defined by a second symmetrical peakextending from the interior side of the flash window, the secondsymmetrical peak having a third side extending from the interior side ofthe flash window at a third angle equal to the first angle and a fourthside extending from the interior side of the flash window at a fourthangle equal to the second angle.

The mobile phone may further include a flash body, the flash window maybe defined by a transparent portion of the flash body, and the flashbody may define an opaque portion positioned below the transparentportion. A portion of the opaque portion of the flash body may bevisible through the lens. The transparent portion of the flash body andthe opaque portion of the flash body may be portions of a monolithicpolymer structure.

A portable electronic device may include a housing, a front covercoupled to the housing and defining a front of the portable electronicdevice, and a sensor array positioned along a rear of the portableelectronic device The sensor array may include a camera configured tocapture an image and a flash configured to produce a field ofillumination, the flash including a flash body defining a windowportion, a substrate coupled to the flash body, a light emittingcomponent positioned on the substrate and configured to emit light, anda lens positioned below the window portion and above the light emittingcomponent. The lens may define a flash-directing region configured totransmit, through the window portion, the light from the light emittingcomponent to illuminate a field of view of the camera, and a supportregion surrounding the flash-directing region and configured totransmit, through the window portion, light reflected by the flash body.

The support region of the lens may define an outer surface facing thewindow portion of the flash body, and an inner surface opposite theouter surface, and a portion of at least one of the outer surface or theinner surface may have a textured surface. The textured surface may havea different surface texture than a surface defined by theflash-directing region of the lens.

The window portion may define an exterior side and an interior side. Theinterior side may have a plurality of ridges configured to produce apattern visible from the exterior side of the window portion, theplurality of ridges including a series of concentric circular ridgesextending from the interior side of the window portion and defining asymmetrical peak.

The window portion may be defined by a transparent portion of the flashbody, and the flash body may further define an opaque portion positionedbelow the transparent portion. The light reflected by the flash body maybe reflected by the opaque portion of the flash body.

A mobile phone may include a display, an enclosure enclosing the displayand including a front cover positioned over the display and defining afront exterior surface, and a rear cover defining a rear exteriorsurface and a raised sensor array region along the rear exteriorsurface. The raised sensor array region may define a first holeextending through the raised sensor array region, and a second holeextending through the raised sensor array region. The second hole may bedefined by a first opening along an interior surface of the rear coverand having a first opening size and a second opening along the rearexterior surface of the rear cover and having a second opening sizesmaller than the first opening size. The mobile phone may furtherinclude a first camera having a first lens assembly at least partiallywithin the enclosure and extending into the first hole, and a secondcamera having a second lens assembly at least partially within theenclosure and extending into the second hole. The second lens assemblymay define a base portion having a first outer diameter and extendingthrough the first opening and an end portion having a second outerdiameter smaller than the first outer diameter and extending through thesecond opening. The rear cover may be formed from a glass material.

The second hole may be defined by a hole surface having a taperedportion proximate the first opening, and a cylindrical portion proximatethe second opening. The tapered portion may define a frusto-conicalsurface.

The mobile phone may further include a frame member coupled to the rearcover and defining a tapered wall section extending into the secondhole, and the second camera may be attached to the frame member. Themobile phone may further include a trim ring positioned in the secondhole and coupled to the frame member. The trim ring may be a first trimring, and the mobile phone may further include a second trim ringpositioned in the second hole and coupled to the first trim ring.

The second hole may be defined by a hole surface having a taperedportion proximate the first opening and a cylindrical portion proximatethe second opening, and the mobile phone may further include a sealingmember positioned between and in contact with the trim ring and thecylindrical portion of the hole surface. The mobile phone may furtherinclude an opaque coating applied to the tapered portion of the holesurface and the cylindrical portion of the hole surface.

A portable electronic device may include a display, a battery, and anenclosure enclosing the display and the battery and including a housingcomponent, a front cover coupled to the housing component and defining afront exterior surface of the portable electronic device, and a rearcover coupled to the housing component and defining a rear exteriorsurface of the portable electronic device. The portable electronicdevice may also include a rear-facing sensor array including a camerabracket, a first camera coupled to the camera bracket and having a firstfield of view, a second camera coupled to the camera bracket and havinga second field of view different from the first field of view, and athird camera coupled to the camera bracket and having a third field ofview different from the first and second fields of view. The portableelectronic device may also include a first biasing spring positionedalong a first side of the camera bracket and configured to bias thecamera bracket towards the battery along a first direction, and a secondbiasing spring positioned along a second side of the camera bracket andconfigured to bias the camera bracket along a second directiontransverse to the first direction.

The portable electronic device may further include a wall structureextending about a periphery of the camera bracket and defining a firstwall segment extending along the first side of the camera bracket andpositioned between the camera bracket and a top side wall of the housingcomponent, a second wall segment extending along the second side of thecamera bracket and positioned between the camera bracket and a lateralside wall of the housing component, and a third wall segment extendingalong a third side of the camera bracket opposite the second side andpositioned between the camera bracket and the battery.

The first camera may include a first camera enclosure including a firstenclosure component coupled to the camera bracket and defining a bottomof the first camera, and a second enclosure component coupled to thefirst enclosure component at a first seam and defining a top of thefirst camera. The second camera may include a second camera enclosureincluding a third enclosure component coupled to the camera bracket anddefining a bottom of the second camera, and a fourth enclosure componentcoupled to the third enclosure component at a second seam and defining atop of the second camera enclosure. The camera bracket may define aflange positioned between the first camera and the second camera andhaving a top edge that may be below the first seam and the second seam.A portion of at least one of the second enclosure component or thefourth enclosure component may extend at least partially over the topedge of the flange.

The rear cover may define, in a rear-facing sensor array region of therear cover a first hole, a second hole, and a third hole. A portion ofthe first camera may extend into the first hole, a portion of the secondcamera may extend into the second hole, and a portion of the thirdcamera may extend into the third hole. The portable electronic devicemay also include a trim assembly positioned along an exterior surface ofthe rear-facing sensor array region and extending into the first hole.The trim assembly may include an inner trim ring extending around a lensportion of the first camera and defining a first surface facing the lensportion and a second surface opposite the first surface and defining afirst channel, and an outer trim ring extending around the inner trimring and defining a third surface facing the second surface of the innertrim ring and defining a second channel, the first and second channelsdefining a hollow chamber between the inner trim ring and the outer trimring. The outer trim ring may further define a fourth surface oppositethe third surface and defining a peripheral exterior surface of the trimassembly.

A portion of the first camera extends past the rear exterior surface ofthe portable electronic device, and the portable electronic device mayfurther include a trim ring surrounding the portion of the first camera,the trim ring defining an interface surface positioned on the rearexterior surface of the portable electronic device, an exteriorperipheral surface having a first surface texture, and a chamfer surfaceextending from the interface surface to the exterior peripheral surfaceand having a second surface texture different from the first surfacetexture.

A portable electronic device may include a display and an enclosureenclosing the display. The enclosure may include a housing component, afront cover coupled to the housing component and positioned over thedisplay, and a rear cover coupled to the housing component. The portableelectronic device may further include a camera bracket coupled to thehousing component, a first camera having a first field of view andcoupled to the camera bracket, thereby coupling the first camera to theenclosure, a second camera having a second field of view different fromthe first field of view and coupled to the camera bracket, therebycoupling the second camera to the enclosure, a first biasing springextending into a first hole defined in the camera bracket and configuredto bias the camera bracket in a first direction, and a second biasingspring extending into a second hole in the camera bracket and configuredto bias the camera bracket in a second direction different from thefirst direction.

The housing component may include a first wall section defining a firstside exterior surface of the portable electronic device, a second wallsection defining a second side exterior surface opposite to the firstside exterior surface, and a mid-chassis section extending between thefirst wall section and the second wall section. The camera bracket maybe attached to the mid-chassis section. The first direction may betowards a top of the portable electronic device, and the seconddirection may be a side of the portable electronic device. The camerabracket may be configured to maintain the first camera in a fixedposition relative to the second camera.

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including ahousing component defining a side exterior surface of the portableelectronic device, and a front cover assembly coupled to the housingcomponent and defining a front exterior surface of the portableelectronic device. The front cover assembly may include a cover defininga notch. The portable electronic device may include a speaker assemblypositioned below the front cover assembly and coupled to an audiopassage configured to transmit audio output from the speaker assembly,an end portion of the audio passage including a void defined between thehousing component and the notch of the cover.

The void may be bounded by a set of four sides, the cover may definethree sides of the set of four sides, and an inner surface of thehousing component may define one side of the set of four sides. Theportable electronic device may further include a grate elementpositioned in the audio passage, the grate element may define anoutward-facing surface, and the outward-facing surface may be offsetfrom the front exterior surface by a distance that may be greater than athickness of the cover. The grate element may define an array ofopenings, and each opening of the array of openings may have a widthranging from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. Each of a subset of openings of the arrayof openings may have an elongated shape with a length at least twice thewidth. The grate element may be molded from a polymer material.

The grate element may include a frame and a screen mesh attached to theframe. The frame may be over-molded over an edge portion of the screenmesh, and the screen mesh may have an array of perforations, eachperforation having a diameter ranging between 100 microns and 200microns.

A mobile phone may include a touch-sensitive display and an enclosure atleast partially enclosing the touch-sensitive display. The enclosure mayinclude a front cover assembly having a transparent cover defining afront exterior surface of the mobile phone, the transparent cover havinga recess defined along an edge, a first housing component coupled to thefront cover assembly and defining an upper exterior surface of themobile phone, the first housing component and the recess of thetransparent cover defining a first audio port, and a second housingcomponent coupled to the front cover assembly and defining a lowerexterior surface of the mobile phone, the second housing componentdefining a second audio port. The mobile phone may further include aspeaker assembly positioned below the front cover assembly andacoustically coupled to the first audio port and a microphone positionedwithin the enclosure and acoustically coupled to the second audio port.The first audio port may have a width less than 0.5 mm and a length thatranges from 10 mm to 20 mm.

The first housing component and the recess of the transparent cover maydefine a void of the first audio port. The first audio port may beacoustically coupled to the speaker assembly by an audio passage and themobile phone may further include a grate element positioned within theaudio passage. The grate element may be molded from a polymer material,and the polymer material may define a set of elongated openingspositioned along a length of the grate element. The grate element mayinclude a screen defining an array of openings and a frame molded alongat least one edge of the screen.

An electronic device may include a display, a speaker assemblyconfigured to produce an audio output, and an enclosure enclosing thedisplay and the speaker assembly, the enclosure including a housingcomponent defining a side exterior surface of the electronic device anda first portion of a front exterior surface of the electronic device,and a front cover assembly coupled to the housing component and defininga second portion of the front exterior surface. The front cover assemblymay include a cover defining a notch along an edge of the cover, thenotch and the housing component defining an open cavity that isacoustically coupled to the speaker assembly and configured to transmitthe audio output.

The electronic device may further include a grate element. The grateelement may be positioned below the open cavity, and the grate elementmay be offset inward from the front exterior surface by a distancegreater than a thickness of the cover. The enclosure may define aninternal shelf offset inward from the front exterior surface, and thegrate element may be attached to the internal shelf. The grate elementmay define an array of slits arranged along a length of the grateelement, and each slit may have a width ranging from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.

The electronic device may be a mobile phone, and the open cavity maydefine a receiver port for the mobile phone configured to direct theaudio output to an ear of a user. The open cavity may define an openinghaving an area between 4 mm2 and 8 mm2.

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure defining aninterior cavity having a front cover, a touch-sensitive displaypositioned below the front cover, and a haptic engine positioned in theinterior cavity and configured to produce a haptic output along anexterior surface of the portable electronic device in response to anactuation signal. The haptic engine may include a first body componentdefining a first side of the haptic engine and including a first springflexure and a first end element molded over a portion of the firstspring flexure, a second body component defining a second side of thehaptic engine opposite the first side and including a second springflexure and a second end element molded over a portion of the secondspring flexure, a movable mass component coupled to the first springflexure and the second spring flexure, and a coil configured to induce alinear movement of the movable mass component in response to theactuation signal thereby producing the haptic output. The first springflexure may compress and the second spring flexure may expand inresponse to a portion of the linear movement of the movable masscomponent.

The first spring flexure may define a first end portion, a second endportion, and a bend portion, the first end element may be molded overthe first end portion of the first spring flexure, the movable masscomponent may be coupled to the second end portion of the first springflexure, and the bend portion deforms in response to the linear movementof the movable mass component. The movable mass component may include amolded polymer frame, and the molded polymer frame may be molded overthe second end portion of the first spring flexure, thereby coupling thefirst spring flexure to the movable mass component. The movable masscomponent may further include a magnet coupled to the molded polymerframe and configured to produce a magnetic field configured to interactwith the coil to induce the linear movement of the movable masscomponent, and a metallic weight coupled to the molded polymer frame.The first end element and the molded polymer frame may be formed from aliquid crystal polymer material.

The first body component and the second body component may be coupled toa middle body component that may define a portion of four additionalsides of the haptic engine. The first body component and the second bodycomponent may be welded to the middle body component. The coil may becoupled to an interior of the middle body component.

A mobile phone may include an enclosure including a front cover, adisplay positioned at least partially within the enclosure, a touchsensor configured to detect a touch input along the front cover, and ahaptic engine positioned within the enclosure and configured to producea haptic output in response to the touch input. The haptic engine mayinclude a main body at least partially defining a cavity, a coil coupledto an interior surface of the main body, a movable mass positioned overthe coil, a first body component coupled to the main body and includinga first spring element and a first polymer element encapsulating aportion of the first spring element, and a second body component coupledto the main body and including a second spring element and a secondpolymer element encapsulating a portion of the second spring element,wherein the coil may be configured to cause movement of the movable massthereby producing the haptic output.

The portion of the first spring element may be a first end portion ofthe first spring element, the portion of the second spring element maybe a first end portion of the second spring element, and the movablemass may include a frame member encapsulating a second end portion ofthe first spring element and a second end portion of the second springelement. The first polymer element may be configured to contact a firstportion of the movable mass during the movement of the movable mass tolimit travel of the movable mass towards the first body component, andthe second polymer element may be configured to contact a second portionof the movable mass during the movement of the movable mass to limittravel of the movable mass towards the second body component. The firstpolymer element, the second polymer element, and the frame member may beformed from a liquid crystal polymer material.

The first body component may further include a first metal wallstructure, the first polymer element may be molded to the first metalwall structure, the second body component may further include a secondmetal wall structure, and the second polymer element may be molded tothe second metal wall structure. The main body may include a metalcomponent, the first metal wall structure may be welded to the metalcomponent, and the second metal wall structure may be welded to themetal component.

The mobile phone may further include a processor configured to detect anevent, the haptic output may be produced in response to the detection ofthe event, and the haptic output includes an oscillation of the movablemass within the cavity.

An electronic device may include an enclosure, a display positioned atleast partially within the enclosure, and a haptic engine positionedwithin the enclosure and configured to produce a haptic output along anexterior surface of the electronic device. The haptic engine may includea first housing component at least partially defining a cavity, a coilpositioned within the cavity, a movable mass positioned within thecavity, a first flexure coupled to a first end of the movable mass, asecond housing component coupled to the first housing component and atleast partially encapsulating a portion of the first flexure, a secondflexure coupled to a second end of the movable mass, and a third housingcomponent coupled to the first housing component and at least partiallyencapsulating a portion of the second flexure.

The second housing component may include a first metal wall structureand a first polymer material molded to the first metal wall structureand at least partially encapsulating the portion of the first flexure.The third housing component may include a second metal wall structureand a second polymer material molded to the second metal wall structureand at least partially encapsulating the portion of the second flexure.The first flexure may be a first bent sheet-metal member, and the secondflexure may be a second bent sheet-metal member. The portion of thefirst flexure may be a first portion of the first flexure, the portionof the second flexure may be a first portion of the second flexure, andthe movable mass may include a polymer frame encapsulating a secondportion of the first flexure and a second portion of the second flexure.

A mobile phone may include a display, an enclosure enclosing the displayand including a front cover positioned over the display and defining afront exterior surface of the mobile phone, and a housing componentcoupled to the front cover and defining a chassis section below thefront cover. The chassis section may define a first side facing thefront cover, a second side opposite the first side and defining abattery mounting region, a first recess formed along the second side inthe battery mounting region, and a second recess formed along the secondside in the battery mounting region. The mobile phone may furtherinclude a battery coupled to the chassis section in the battery mountingregion, a first adhesive positioned in the first recess and adhering thebattery to the chassis section, and a second adhesive positioned in thesecond recess and adhering the battery to the chassis section. The firstand second adhesives may be pressure sensitive adhesive films.

The first recess and the second recess may have a recess depth betweenabout 50 and about 100 microns. A thickness of the first adhesive andthe second adhesive may be between about 5 microns and about 30 micronsgreater than the recess depth.

The battery may extend a first distance along a length axis and a seconddistance along a width axis, the first adhesive may be a first strip ofadhesive positioned on a bonding side of the battery and extending alongthe length axis, and the second adhesive may be a second strip ofadhesive positioned on the bonding side of the battery and extendingalong the length axis. The first and second adhesives together may covergreater than about 60% of a surface area of the bonding side of thebattery. The first strip of adhesive may be positioned along a firstedge of the bonding side of the battery, the second strip of adhesivemay be positioned along a second edge of the bonding side of thebattery, the second edge opposite the first edge, and a graphicalmarking may be positioned between the first strip of adhesive and thesecond strip of adhesive on the bonding side of the battery.

A portable electronic device may include a display assembly, a battery,and an enclosure enclosing the battery and the display assembly andincluding a front cover assembly positioned over the display assemblyand defining a front exterior surface of the portable electronic device,a rear cover assembly defining a rear exterior surface of the portableelectronic device, and a middle housing component formed from a metalmaterial. The middle housing component may include a first wall sectiondefining a first side exterior surface of the portable electronicdevice, a second wall section defining a second side exterior surfaceopposite the first side exterior surface, and a mid-chassis sectionintegrally formed with the first wall section and the second wallsection. The mid-chassis section may define a first portion defining afirst protrusion along a first side of the mid-chassis section anddefining a first recess along a second side of the mid-chassis sectionopposite the first side, a portion of the battery extending into thefirst recess, and a second portion defining a second protrusion alongthe second side of the mid-chassis section and a second recess along thefirst side of the mid-chassis section, a portion of the display assemblyextending into the second recess.

The display assembly may include a circuit element positioned along aninterior surface of the display assembly, and the portion of the displayassembly extending into the second recess may be a portion of thecircuit element. The battery may define a third recess, and the secondprotrusion along the second side of the mid-chassis section extends intothe third recess defined by the battery. The battery may include abattery cell portion having a first thickness, and a battery circuitportion positioned along a side of the battery cell portion and having asecond thickness less than the first thickness. The battery cell portionmay be attached to the first portion of the mid-chassis section, and thebattery circuit portion may be positioned over the second protrusion. Anadhesive may be positioned in the first recess and adheres the batteryto the mid-chassis section. A thickness of the adhesive may be betweenabout 5 microns and about 20 microns greater than a depth of the secondrecess. An air gap may be defined between the first portion of themid-chassis section and the display assembly.

A portable electronic device may include a display, a battery, a circuitboard assembly, and an enclosure enclosing the display, the battery, andthe circuit board assembly. The enclosure may include a front coverpositioned over the display and defining a front exterior surface of theportable electronic device, and a housing component coupled to the frontcover and including a wall defining a side exterior surface of theportable electronic device. The portable electronic device may furtherinclude an impact barrier structure within the enclosure and extendingaround a periphery of the battery, the impact barrier structureincluding a first barrier member positioned between the battery and thewall of the housing component, and a second barrier member positionedbetween the battery and the circuit board assembly.

The portable electronic device may further include a camera module, andthe impact barrier structure may further include a third barrier memberpositioned between the battery and the camera module. The first barriermember, the second barrier member, and the third barrier member may beformed from a nonconductive polymer material. The first barrier membermay be adhered to the wall, the second barrier member may be adhered tothe circuit board assembly, and the third barrier member may be adheredto the camera module.

The housing component may further include a metal chassis below thefront cover, and at least one of the first barrier member, the secondbarrier member, and the third barrier member may be coupled to the metalchassis. The at least one of the first barrier member, the secondbarrier member, and the third barrier member may be welded to the metalchassis.

A mobile phone may include an enclosure defining an internal volume, theenclosure including a front cover formed from a transparent material anddefining a front exterior surface of the mobile phone, a rear coverformed from a glass material and defining a rear exterior surface of themobile phone, and a housing component defining a side exterior surfaceof the mobile phone. The mobile phone may include a circuit boardassembly within the internal volume. The circuit board assembly mayinclude a circuit board, a circuit component coupled to an exteriorsurface of the circuit board, and a cowling coupled to the circuit boardand covering the circuit component, the cowling having a thickness lessthan about 0.5 mm and including a base structure formed from an aluminumalloy having a thickness less than about 0.4 mm and a thermallyconductive structure positioned over the base structure and configuredto dissipate heat from the circuit board assembly.

The aluminum alloy may be a 7475 series aluminum alloy. The thermallyconductive structure may include graphite. The thermally conductivestructure may include a multi-layer structure including a plurality ofgraphite layers, and a plurality of adhesive layers.

The thermally conductive structure may be a first thermally conductivestructure, the cowling may be coupled to a first side of the circuitboard assembly, and the circuit board assembly may further include asecond thermally conductive structure positioned on the second side ofthe circuit board assembly. The enclosure may include a front coverassembly, the front cover assembly may include the front cover, and themobile phone may further include a first thermal bridge coupled to thefirst thermally conductive structure and thermally coupling the circuitboard assembly to the front cover assembly, and a second thermal bridgecoupled to the second thermally conductive structure and thermallycoupling the circuit board assembly to an internal structure of theenclosure.

The cowling may define a bend segment extending from a main portion ofthe cowling to a raised portion of the cowling, and the bend segment mayhave bend radius that may be greater than about 0.5 mm. A thickness ofthe cowling in the raised portion may be less than a thickness of thecowling in the main portion.

A portable electronic device may include an enclosure including ahousing structure, a front cover assembly coupled to the housingstructure and including a first transparent member defining a frontsurface of the portable electronic device, and a rear cover assemblycoupled to the housing structure and including a second transparentmember defining a rear surface of the portable electronic device. Theportable electronic device may further include a display at leastpartially within the enclosure and below the front cover assembly, abattery at least partially within the enclosure, and a circuit boardassembly at least partially within the enclosure. The circuit boardassembly may include a circuit board and a cowling coupled to thecircuit board and defining an exterior surface of the circuit boardassembly. The cowling may include an aluminum alloy base structure and agraphite layer over the aluminum alloy base structure. The aluminumalloy base structure may be formed of a 7475 series aluminum alloy. Thealuminum alloy base structure may have a thickness less than about 0.4mm.

The cowling may cover substantially an entire top surface of the circuitboard. The circuit board assembly may include a first circuit componentcoupled to the top surface of the circuit board and a second circuitcomponent coupled to the top surface of the circuit board, and thecowling may cover the first circuit component and the second circuitcomponent.

The graphite layer may be a first graphite layer, the cowling may becoupled to a first side of the circuit board assembly, and the circuitboard assembly may further include a multi-layer thermally conductivestructure coupled to a second side of the circuit board assembly andincluding a plurality of second graphite layers and a plurality ofadhesive layers.

The circuit board may be a first circuit board, and the circuit boardassembly may further include a wall structure coupled to the firstcircuit board and a second circuit board coupled to the wall structureand supported above the first circuit board by the wall structure.

An electronic device may include a display, a battery, and an enclosureenclosing the display and the battery. The enclosure may include a frontcover assembly defining a front exterior surface of the electronicdevice, a rear cover assembly defining a rear exterior surface of theelectronic device, and a housing component including a first wallsection defining a first side exterior surface of the electronic device,a second wall section defining a second side exterior surface oppositeto the first side exterior surface, and a mid-chassis section extendingbetween the first wall section and the second wall section. Theelectronic device may further include a circuit board assembly coupledto the mid-chassis section and defining a first peripheral sideproximate the first wall section of the housing component and a secondperipheral side opposite the first peripheral side, and a thermal bridgethermally coupling the circuit board assembly to the mid-chassissection, the thermal bridge positioned proximate the first peripheralside of the circuit board assembly.

A center of the thermal bridge may be offset from a midline of thecircuit board assembly. The thermal bridge may be a first thermalbridge, and the electronic device may further include a second thermalbridge thermally coupling the circuit board assembly to the front coverassembly.

The thermal bridge may be a first thermal bridge and the circuit boardassembly may define a first segment extending along a first side of thebattery and a second segment extending along a second side of thebattery, the second side perpendicular to the first side. The firstthermal bridge may be positioned on the first segment of the circuitboard assembly, and the electronic device may further include a secondthermal bridge positioned on the second segment of the circuit boardassembly. The circuit board assembly may further include a first cowlingcoupled to the first segment of the circuit board assembly and coveringa first circuit component of the circuit board assembly, a secondcowling coupled to the second segment of the circuit board assembly andcovering a second circuit component of the circuit board assembly, and athermally conductive structure extending over both the first cowling andthe second cowling, and the first thermal bridge and the second thermalbridge may be coupled to the thermally conductive structure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:

FIGS. 1A-1B depict an example electronic device;

FIGS. 1C-1D depict another example electronic device;

FIG. 2 depicts an exploded view of an example electronic device;

FIG. 3 depicts an exploded view of an example electronic device;

FIG. 4A depicts a partial exploded view of an example electronic device;

FIG. 4B depicts an exploded view of a portion of the electronic deviceof FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C depicts a partial cross-sectional view of an example electronicdevice;

FIGS. 5A-5B depict an example circuit board assembly for an electronicdevice;

FIG. 5C depicts an example electronic device;

FIG. 5D depicts a partial cross-sectional view of an example electronicdevice;

FIG. 5E depicts a partial cross-sectional view of an example electronicdevice;

FIG. 5F depicts a partial exploded view of an example electronic device;

FIG. 6A depicts an example rear cover assembly for an electronic device;

FIG. 6B depicts a spring clip system for an electronic device;

FIGS. 7A-7B depict a portion of a camera region of an electronic device;

FIG. 8 depicts a partial cross-sectional view of a camera region of anelectronic device;

FIG. 9A depicts a partial cross-sectional view of a camera region of anelectronic device;

FIGS. 9B-9G depict partial cross-sectional views of example trimassemblies for an electronic device;

FIG. 9H depicts a camera region of another example electronic device;

FIG. 10A depicts a portion of an example electronic device;

FIG. 10B depicts a proximity sensor of an electronic device;

FIG. 11A depicts a partial exploded view of a front-facing sensor regionof an example electronic device;

FIGS. 11B-11E depict partial cross-sectional views of examplefront-facing sensor regions;

FIGS. 12A-12D depict example front-facing sensor regions for anelectronic device;

FIGS. 12E-12H depict partial cross-sectional views of examplefront-facing sensor regions;

FIGS. 12I-12J depict partial cross-sectional views of example displaylayers;

FIGS. 13A-13F depict example touch inputs and graphical outputs in afront-facing sensor region;

FIGS. 14A-14B depict partial cross-sectional views of examplefront-facing cameras for an electronic device;

FIGS. 14C-14E illustrate partial cross-sectional views of examplefront-facing sensor regions for an electronic device;

FIG. 15A depicts a partial view of a speaker configuration of an exampleelectronic device;

FIG. 15B depicts a partial cross-sectional view of an example electronicdevice, illustrating an example configuration of a speaker opening;

FIG. 15C depicts a partial cross-sectional view of example electronicdevice, illustrating another example configuration for a speakeropening;

FIG. 15D depicts an example acoustic cover structure for an electronicdevice;

FIG. 15E depicts a partial cross-sectional view of an electronic devicewith the acoustic cover structure of FIG. 15D;

FIG. 15F depicts another example acoustic cover structure for anelectronic device;

FIG. 16A depicts a flash module illuminating different fields of view;

FIGS. 16B-16C depict partial cross-sectional views of a flash module;

FIGS. 17A-17F depict example illumination patterns for a light emittingstructure of a flash module;

FIG. 18A depicts an example configuration of a window portion of a flashmodule;

FIG. 18B depicts a partial cross-sectional view of the window portion ofFIG. 18A;

FIG. 19A depicts a partial exploded view of an example haptic engine;

FIG. 19B depicts a top view of the haptic engine of FIG. 19A;

FIG. 20A depicts an example integrated module for an electronic device;

FIG. 20B depicts a partial exploded view of the integrated module ofFIG. 20A;

FIG. 20C depicts a partial exploded view of a device with an integratedmodule;

FIG. 21A depicts a partial exploded view of a device with a screencover;

FIG. 21B depicts a side view of an example screen cover;

FIGS. 21C-21D depict partial cross-sectional views of example screenprotectors;

FIG. 22A depicts a partial exploded view of an example circuit boardassembly;

FIG. 22B depicts a bottom side view of the circuit board assembly ofFIG. 22A;

FIGS. 22C-22D depict partial cross-sectional views of a cowling for acircuit board assembly; and

FIG. 23 depicts a schematic diagram of an example electronic device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodimentsillustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood thatthe following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments toone preferred embodiment. To the contrary, it is intended to coveralternatives, modifications, and equivalents as can be included withinthe spirit and scope of the described embodiments as defined by theappended claims.

Mobile phones as described herein may include complex, sophisticatedcomponents and systems that facilitate a multitude of functions. Forexample, mobile phones according to the instant disclosure may includetouch- and/or force-sensitive displays, numerous cameras (including bothfront- and rear-facing cameras), GPS systems, haptic actuators, wirelesscharging systems, and all requisite computing components and software tooperate these (and other) systems and otherwise provide thefunctionality of the mobile phones.

FIGS. 1A and 1B show an example electronic device 100 embodied as amobile phone. FIG. 1A illustrates a front of the device 100, while FIG.1B illustrates a back side of the device. While the device 100 is amobile phone, the concepts presented herein may apply to any appropriateelectronic devices, including portable electronic devices, wearabledevices (e.g., watches), laptop computers, handheld gaming devices,tablet computers, computing peripherals (e.g., mice, touchpads,keyboards), or any other device. Accordingly, any reference to an“electronic device” encompasses any and all of the foregoing.

The electronic device 100 includes a cover 102 (e.g., a front cover)attached to a housing 104 (which may include a housing structure definedby one or more housing components). The cover 102 may be positioned overa display 103. The cover 102 may be a sheet or sheet-like structureformed from or including a transparent or optically transmissivematerial. In some cases, the cover 102 is formed from or includes aglass material, and may therefore be referred to as a glass covermember. The glass material may be a silica-based glass material, analuminosilicate glass, a boroaluminosilicate glass, an alkali metalaluminosilicate glass (e.g., a lithium aluminosilicate glass), or achemically strengthened glass. Other example materials for the cover 102include, without limitation, sapphire, ceramic, glass-ceramic,crystallizable glass materials, or plastic (e.g., polycarbonate). Aglass-ceramic material may be a silica-based glass ceramic material,such as an aluminosilicate glass ceramic material or aboroaluminosilicate glass ceramic material. The glass-ceramic materialmay be chemically strengthened by ion exchange. The cover 102 may beformed as a monolithic or unitary sheet. The cover 102 may also beformed as a composite of multiple layers of different materials,coatings, and other elements.

The display 103 may be at least partially positioned within the interiorvolume of the housing 104. The display 103 may be coupled to the cover102, such as via an adhesive or other coupling scheme. The display 103may include a liquid-crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED)display, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, an active layerorganic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display, an organicelectroluminescent (EL) display, an electrophoretic ink display, or thelike. The display 103 may be configured to display graphical outputs,such as graphical user interfaces, that the user may view and interactwith. Graphical outputs may be displayed in a graphically active regionof the display 103 (e.g., an active display region).

The device 100 may also include an ambient light sensor that candetermine properties of the ambient light conditions surrounding thedevice 100. Example ambient light sensors are described herein. Thedevice 100 may use information from the ambient light sensor to change,modify, adjust, or otherwise control the display 103 (e.g., by changinga hue, brightness, saturation, or other optical aspect of the displaybased on information from the ambient light sensor). The device 100 mayalso include a proximity sensor that can determine the proximity of anobject (e.g., a user's face) to the device 100. The device 100 may useinformation from the proximity sensor to change, modify, adjust, orotherwise control the display 103 or other function of the device 100(e.g., to deactivate the display when the device 100 is held near auser's face during a telephone call).

As described herein, the ambient light sensor and/or the proximitysensor may be positioned below an active area of the display 103 (e.g.,below a portion of the display that produces graphical output). Theambient light sensor and/or the proximity sensor may transmit and/orreceive light through the active area of the display 103 to performsensing functions.

The display 103 may include or be associated with one or more touch-and/or force-sensing systems. In some cases, components of the touch-and/or force-sensing systems are integrated with the display stack. Forexample, touch-sensing components such as electrode layers of a touchand/or force sensor may be provided in a stack that includes displaycomponents (and is optionally attached to or at least viewable throughthe cover 102). The touch- and/or force-sensing systems may use anysuitable type of sensing technology and touch-sensing components,including capacitive sensors, resistive sensors, surface acoustic wavesensors, piezoelectric sensors, strain gauges, or the like. The outer orexterior surface of the cover 102 may define an input surface (e.g., atouch- and/or force-sensitive input surface) of the device. While bothtouch- and force-sensing systems may be included, in some cases thedevice 100 includes a touch-sensing system and does not include aforce-sensing system.

The device 100 may also include a front-facing camera 106. Thefront-facing camera 106 may be positioned below or otherwise coveredand/or protected by the cover 102. The front-facing camera 106 may haveany suitable operational parameters. For example, the front-facingcamera 106 may include a 12 megapixel sensor (with 1 micron pixel size),and an 80-90° field of view. The front-facing camera 106 may have anaperture number of f/1.9. The front-facing camera 106 may includeauto-focus functionality (e.g., one or more lens elements may moverelative to an optical sensor to focus an image on the sensor). Othertypes of cameras may also be used for the front-facing camera 106, suchas a fixed-focus camera.

The front-facing camera 106 (as well as other components) may bepositioned in a front-facing sensor region 111. The front-facing sensorregion 111 may be positioned in an island-like area of the front of thedevice 100, and may be surrounded by a display region (e.g., a maindisplay region) of the device 100. In some cases, as described herein,the front-facing sensor region 111 may be positioned in or defined byone or more holes formed through the display 103. In such cases, thefront-facing sensor region 111 may be bordered on all sides by activeareas or regions of the display 103. Stated another way, thefront-facing sensor region 111 may be completely surrounded by activedisplay areas (e.g., an outer periphery of the front-facing sensorregion 111 may be surrounded by active areas of the display). In somecases, the front-facing sensor region 111 includes or is defined by oneor more masks or other visually opaque component(s) or treatment(s) thatdefine openings for the sensors of the front-facing sensor region 111.The front-facing sensor region 111 may include components such as aninfrared illuminator module 107 (which may include a flood illuminatorand a dot projector), an infrared image capture device 109, and thefront-facing camera 106. The infrared illuminator module 107 is anexample of a light emitter, and the infrared image capture device 109 isan example of an optical receiver.

In some cases, the front-facing sensor region 111 is defined by orincludes two holes formed through the display 103, such as a first holeto provide optical access for the front facing camera 106 and a secondhole to provide access for the infrared illuminator module 107 and theinfrared image capture device 109. A supplemental display region 115 maybe located between the first and second holes. The supplemental displayregion 115 may provide graphical output and touch- and/or force-sensingfunctionality to the front-facing sensor region 111. For example, thesupplemental display region 115 may be used to display graphical outputssuch as lights, shapes, icons, or other elements (e.g., to providenotifications and/or information to the user). In some cases, thesupplemental display region 115 may be visually distinguished from otheractive regions of the display, such that the supplemental display region115 does not appear to be part of the display. For example, graphicaloutputs (e.g., graphical user interfaces, images, videos, etc.)displayed on the display 103 may not extend into the supplementaldisplay region 115. In such cases, the front-facing sensor region 111may appear visually as a single continuous area of the display, despitethe display having two separate holes separated by an active displayregion or area. The supplemental display region 115, and optionally thetouch-sensing components of the display that surround the front-facingsensor region 111, may also include touch- and/or force-sensingfunctionality, such that a user can touch the front-facing sensor region111 to provide an input to the device. In some cases, touch inputsapplied anywhere in the front-facing sensor region 111 (e.g., evendirectly over the optical components) may be detected by the device.These and other features of the front-facing sensor region 111 aredescribed herein.

The device 100 may also include one or more buttons (e.g., button 120,and buttons 116 in FIG. 1B), switches (e.g., switch 118, FIG. 1B),and/or other physical input systems. Such input systems may be used tocontrol power states (e.g., the button 120), change speaker volume(e.g., the buttons 116), switch between “ring” and “silent” modes, andthe like (e.g., the switch 118).

The device 100 may also include a speaker port 110 to provide audiooutput to a user, such as to a user's ear during voice calls. Thespeaker port 110, which is an example of an audio port, may also bereferred to as a receiver, receiver port, or an earpiece in the contextof a mobile phone. The speaker port 110 may be defined by an openingthat is defined, along at least one side, by the housing 104, and alongat least another side, by the cover 102. In some cases, the cover 102defines a notch along an edge of the cover, and the notch (also referredto as a recess or cutout) defines at least three sides of the speakerport 110. The speaker port 110 may lack a mesh or other covering that isflush with the front surface of the cover 102. In some cases, aprotective grill or grate is positioned within the device 100 and in anaudio path between a speaker and the speaker port 110 to inhibit ingressof debris into the device 100. The protective grill or grate may berecessed relative to the front surface or front face of the cover 102.Example protective grate elements are described with respect to FIGS.15A-15F.

The device 100 may also include a charging port 112 (e.g., for receivinga connector of a power cable for providing power to the device 100 andcharging the battery of the device 100). The device 100 may also includeaudio openings 114. The audio openings 114 may allow sound output froman internal speaker system (e.g., the speaker system 224, FIG. 2 ) toexit the housing 104. The device 100 may also include one or moremicrophones. In some cases, a microphone within the housing 104 may beacoustically coupled to the surrounding environment through an audioopening 114.

The housing 104 may be a multi-piece housing. For example, the housing104 may be formed from multiple housing components 124, 125, 126, 127,128, and 130, which are structurally coupled together via one or moreintermediate elements, such as joint structures 122 (e.g., 122-1-122-6).Together, the housing components 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, and 130 andthe joint structures 122 may define a band-like housing structure thatdefines four side walls (and thus four exterior side surfaces) of thedevice 100. Thus, both the housing components and the joint structuresdefine portions of the exterior side surfaces of the device 100.

The housing components 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, and 130 may be formed ofa conductive material (e.g., a metal such as aluminum, stainless steel,or the like), and the joint structures 122 may be formed of one or morepolymer materials (e.g., glass-reinforced polymer). The joint structures122 may include two or more molded elements, which may be formed ofdifferent materials. For example, an inner molded element may be formedof a first material (e.g., a polymer material), and an outer moldedelement may be formed of a second material that is different from thefirst (e.g., a different polymer material). The materials may havedifferent properties, which may be selected based on the differentfunctions of the inner and outer molded elements. For example, the innermolded element may be configured to make the main structural connectionbetween housing components, and may have a higher mechanical strengthand/or toughness than the outer molded element. On the other hand, theouter molded element may be configured to have a particular appearance,surface finish, chemical resistance, water-sealing function, or thelike, and its composition may be selected to prioritize those functionsover mechanical strength.

In some cases, one or more of the housing components 124, 125, 126, 127,128, and 130 (or portions thereof) are configured to operate as antennas(e.g., components that are configured to transmit and/or receiveelectromagnetic waves to facilitate wireless communications with othercomputers and/or devices). To facilitate the use of the housingcomponents as antennas, feed and ground lines may be conductivelycoupled to the housing components to couple the housing components toother antennas and/or communication circuitry. Further, the jointstructures 122 may be substantially non-conductive to provide suitableseparation and/or electrical isolation between the housing components(which may be used to tune the radiating portions, reduce capacitivecoupling between radiating portions and other structures, and the like).In addition to the housing components 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, and 130,the device 100 may also include various internal antenna elements thatare configured to transmit and receive wireless communication signalsthrough various regions of the housing 104. As shown in FIG. 1A, thedevice 100 may include an antenna window 129 that allows for the passageof radio-frequency communication signals through a corresponding regionof the housing 104.

The joint structures 122 may be mechanically interlocked with thehousing components to structurally couple the housing components andform a structural housing assembly.

The exterior surfaces of the housing components 124, 125, 126, 127, 128,and 130 may have substantially a same color, surface texture, andoverall appearance as the exterior surfaces of the joint structures 122.In some cases, the exterior surfaces of the housing components 124, 125,126, 127, 128, and 130 and the exterior surfaces of the joint structures122 are subjected to at least one common finishing procedure, such asabrasive-blasting, machining, polishing, grinding, or the like.Accordingly, the exterior surfaces of the housing components and thejoint structures may have a same or similar surface finish (e.g.,surface texture, roughness, pattern, etc.). In some cases, the exteriorsurfaces of the housing components and the joint structures may besubjected to a two-stage blasting process to produce the target surfacefinish.

FIG. 1A also includes an example coordinate system 101 that may definedirections with reference to the device 100 (or other electronic devicesdescribed herein). The coordinate system 101 defines a positive xdirection, a positive y direction, and a positive z direction. Unlessstated otherwise, references herein to a positive x, positive y, orpositive z direction will be understood to refer generally to thecoordinate system 101 and its relationship to the device 100 in FIG. 1A.Negative x, y, and z directions will be understood to be opposite to thepositive x, y, and z directions shown in the coordinate system in FIG.1A.

FIG. 1B illustrates a back side of the device 100. The device 100 mayinclude a back or rear cover 132 coupled to the housing 104 and definingat least a portion of the exterior rear surface of the device 100. Thecover 102 (e.g., the front cover), the rear cover 132, and the housing104 may at least partially define an enclosure of the device 100. Theenclosure 100 may define an internal volume in which components of thedevice 100 are positioned. The rear cover 132 may be formed from orinclude a transparent or optically transmissive material. For example,the rear cover 132 may include a substrate formed of a glass material.The glass material may be a silica-based glass material, analuminosilicate glass, a boroaluminosilicate glass, an alkali metalaluminosilicate glass (e.g., a lithium aluminosilicate glass), or achemically strengthened glass. Other example materials for the rearcover 132 include, without limitation, sapphire, ceramic, glass-ceramic,crystallizable glass materials, and plastic (e.g., polycarbonate). Aglass-ceramic material may be a silica-based glass ceramic material,such as an aluminosilicate glass ceramic material or aboroaluminosilicate glass ceramic material. The glass-ceramic materialmay be chemically strengthened by ion exchange. The rear cover 132 maybe formed as a monolithic or unitary sheet. The rear cover 132 may alsobe formed as a composite of multiple layers of different materials,coatings, and other elements. The rear cover 132 may include one or moredecorative layers on the exterior or interior surface of the substrate.For example, one or more opaque layers may be applied to the interiorsurface of the substrate (or otherwise positioned along the interiorsurface of the substrate) to provide a particular appearance to the backside of the device 100. The opaque layer(s) may include a sheet, ink,dye, or combinations of these (or other) layers, materials, or the like.In some cases the opaque layer(s) have a color that substantiallymatches a color of the housing 104 (e.g., the exterior surfaces of thehousing components and the joint structures). The device 100 may includea wireless charging system, whereby the device 100 can be powered and/orits battery recharged by an inductive (or other electromagnetic)coupling between a charger and a wireless charging system within thedevice 100. In such cases, the rear cover 132 may be formed of amaterial that allows and/or facilitates the wireless coupling betweenthe charger and the wireless charging system (e.g., glass).

The device 100 may also include a sensor array 141 (e.g., a rear-facingsensor array in a rear-facing sensor array region) that includes threecameras (as shown, for example, in FIG. 2 , described herein). Thesensor array 141 may be in a sensor array region that is defined by aprotrusion 151 in a rear cover of the device 100. The protrusion 151 maydefine a portion of the rear exterior surface of the device 100, and mayat least partially define a raised sensor array region of the sensorarray 141. In some cases, the protrusion 151 may be formed by attachinga piece of material (e.g., glass) to another piece of material (e.g.,glass). In other cases, the rear cover 132 may include a monolithicstructure, and the protrusion 151 may be part of the monolithicstructure. For example, the rear cover 132 may include a monolithicglass structure (or glass ceramic structure or alkali-aluminosilicatestructure, or other suitable material) that defines the protrusion 151as well as the surrounding area. In such cases, the protrusion 151 maybe an area of increased thickness of the monolithic structure, or it mayhave a same or substantially same thickness as the rest of the cover(e.g., the protrusion 151 may correspond to or generally be opposite arecessed region along an interior side of the monolithic structure, suchthat the monolithic structure has a uniform thickness while alsodefining the protrusion 151).

A first camera 142 may include a 12 megapixel sensor and a telephotolens with a 3× optical zoom and an aperture number of f/2.8; a secondcamera 144 may include a 48 megapixel sensor with sensor-shift imagestabilization and a wide angle lens having an aperture number of f/1.7;and a third camera 146 may include a 12 megapixel sensor and asuper-wide camera with a wide field of view (e.g., 120° FOV) and anaperture number of f/2.2. One or more of the cameras of the sensor array141 may also include lens-based optical image stabilization, whereby thelens is dynamically moved relative to a fixed structure within thedevice 100 to reduce the effects of “camera shake” or other movements onimages captured by the camera, and/or sensor-based image stabilization,whereby the image sensor is moved relative to a fixed lens or opticalassembly. One or more of the cameras may include autofocusfunctionality, in which one or more lens elements (and/or sensors) aremovable to focus an image on a sensor.

The first camera 142 may include an image sensor with a pixel sizebetween about 0.8 microns and about 1.4 microns. The second camera 144may include an image sensor with a pixel size between about 1.6 micronsand about 2.3 microns. The third camera 146 may include an image sensorwith a pixel size between about 0.8 microns and about 1.4 microns.

The sensor array 141, along with associated processors and software, mayprovide several image-capture features. For example, the sensor array141 may be configured to capture full-resolution video clips of acertain duration each time a user captures a still image. As usedherein, capturing full-resolution images (e.g., video images or stillimages) may refer to capturing images using all or substantially all ofthe pixels of an image sensor, or otherwise capturing images using themaximum resolution of the camera (regardless of whether the maximumresolution is limited by the hardware or software).

The captured video clips may be associated with the still image. In somecases, users may be able to select individual frames from the video clipas the representative still image associated with the video clip. Inthis way, when the user takes a snapshot of a scene, the camera willactually record a short video clip (e.g., 1 second, 2 seconds, or thelike), and the user can select the exact frame from the video to use asthe captured still image (in addition to simply viewing the video clipas a video).

The cameras of the sensor array 141 may also have or provide ahigh-dynamic-range (HDR) mode, in which the camera captures imageshaving a dynamic range of luminosity that is greater than what iscaptured when the camera is not in the HDR mode. In some cases, thesensor array 141 automatically determines whether to capture images inan HDR or non-HDR mode. Such determination may be based on variousfactors, such as the ambient light of the scene, detected ranges ofluminosity, tone, or other optical parameters in the scene, or the like.HDR images may be produced by capturing multiple images, each usingdifferent exposure or other image-capture parameters, and producing acomposite image from the multiple captured images.

The cameras of the sensor array 141 may also include software-basedcolor balance correction. For example, when a flash (e.g., the flash148) is used during image capture, the cameras (and/or associatedprocessing functionality of the device 100) may adjust the image tocompensate for differences in color temperature between the flash outputand the ambient lighting in the image. Thus, for example, if abackground of an image has a different color temperature than aforeground subject (e.g., because the foreground subject is illuminatedby the flash output), the cameras may modify the background and/or theforeground of the image to produce a more consistent color temperatureacross the image.

The sensor array 141 may also include or be configured to operate in anobject detection mode, in which a user can select (and/or the device 100can automatically identify) objects within a scene to facilitate thoseobjects being processed, displayed, or captured differently than otherparts of the scene. For example, a user may select (or the device 100may automatically identify) a person's face in a scene, and the device100 may focus on the person's face while selectively blurring theportions of the scene other than the person's face. Notably, featuressuch as the HDR mode and the object detection mode may be provided witha single camera (e.g., a single lens and sensor).

The sensor array 141 may also include a depth sensing device 149 that isconfigured to estimate a distance between the device and a separateobject or target. The depth sensing device 149 may estimate a distancebetween the device and a separate object or target using lasers andtime-of-flight calculations, or using other types of depth sensingcomponents or techniques.

The device 100 may also include a flash 148 (e.g., a rear-facing flash)that is configured to illuminate a scene to facilitate capturing imageswith the cameras of the sensor array 141. The flash 148 is configured toilluminate a scene to facilitate capturing images with the sensor array141. The flash 148 may include one or more light sources, such as one ormore light emitting diodes (e.g., 1, 2, 3, 4, or more LEDs). In somecases, the light source(s) may be illuminable in multiple differentillumination patterns, which, along with a lens positioned over thelight source(s), can produce different fields of illumination on asubject or scene. For example, and as described in greater detailherein, a light source may be segmented into a plurality of illuminableregions, with the illuminable regions positioned under different regionsof the lens. When a first illumination pattern is active (e.g., one ormore central illuminable regions), the emitted light may pass through afirst region of the lens (e.g., a central region) and produce a firstfield of illumination on a subject or scene (e.g., a relatively narrowlight distribution corresponding to a field of view of a telephotolens). When a second illumination pattern is active (e.g., one or moreperipheral illuminable regions), the emitted light may pass through asecond region of the lens (e.g., a peripheral region) and produce asecond field of illumination on a subject or scene (e.g., a relativelywider light distribution corresponding to a field of view of a wideangle lens). The flash 148 may be configured to produce two, three, ormore different fields of illumination, each corresponding to a field ofview of one of the cameras of the sensor array 141. Thus, for example,the flash 148 may produce a first field of illumination that correspondsto (e.g., is substantially equal to or greater than) a field of view ofthe first camera 142, a second field of illumination that corresponds to(e.g., is substantially equal to or greater than) a field of view of thesecond camera 144, and a third field of illumination that corresponds to(e.g., is substantially equal to or greater than) a field of view of thethird camera 146.

The sensor array 141 may also include a microphone 150. The microphone150 may be acoustically coupled to the exterior environment through ahole defined in the rear cover of the device 100 (e.g., through theportion of the rear cover that defines the protrusion 151).

FIGS. 1C and 1D show another example electronic device 140 embodied as amobile phone. The electronic device 140 may have many of the same orsimilar outward-facing components as the electronic device 100.Accordingly, descriptions and details of such components from FIGS.1A-1B (e.g., displays, buttons, switches, housings, covers, chargingports, joint structures, etc.) apply equally to the correspondingcomponents shown in FIGS. 1C and 1D.

In some cases, the device 140 may include a front-facing sensor region113 positioned in a notch-like area of the front of the device 140. Insome cases, as described herein, the front-facing sensor region 113 maybe positioned in or defined by a recessed area of the display (e.g., anarea that is not occupied by the display or by a visually active portionof the display). In some cases, the front-facing sensor region 113includes a mask or other visually opaque component or treatment thatdefines openings for the sensors. In some cases, one or more of thesensors or other devices in the front-facing sensor region 113 (e.g.,the front-facing camera) are aligned with a hole formed through one ormore layers of the display to provide optical access to the sensor. Thefront-facing sensor region 113 may include components such as a floodilluminator module, a proximity sensor module, an infrared lightprojector, an infrared image capture device, and a front-facing camera.

While the device 100 in FIG. 1B is shown as including a sensor array 141with three cameras, the device 140 as shown in FIG. 1D includes a sensorarray 134 (e.g., a rear-facing sensor array in a rear-facing sensorarray region) that includes two cameras. The sensor array 134 may be ina sensor array region that is defined by a protrusion 137 in a rearcover of the device 140. The protrusion 137 may have the same or similarconstruction as the protrusion 151 in FIG. 1B.

The device 140 may also include, as part of the sensor array 134, one ormore rear-facing devices, which may include an ambient light sensor(ALS), a microphone 135, and/or a depth sensing device that isconfigured to estimate a distance between the device 140 and a separateobject or target. The sensor array 134 may also include multiplecameras, such as a first camera 138 and a second camera 139. The firstcamera 138 may include a super-wide camera having a 12 megapixel sensorand a wide field of view (e.g., 120° FOV) optical stack with an aperturenumber of f/2.4; the second camera 139 may include a wide view camerahaving a 12 megapixel sensor and an aperture number of f/1.6. In somecases, the sensor array 134 may include a telephoto lens having a 12megapixel sensor with a 3× optical zoom optical stack having an aperturenumber ranging from f/2.0 to f/2.8 (e.g., in addition to the first andsecond cameras 138, 139, or in place of one of the first or secondcameras). One or more of the cameras (e.g., cameras 138, 139) of thesensor array 134 may also include optical image stabilization, wherebythe lens is dynamically moved relative to a fixed structure within thedevice 140 to reduce the effects of “camera shake” on images captured bythe camera. The camera(s) may also perform optical image stabilizationby moving the image sensor relative to a fixed lens or optical assembly.One or more of the cameras may include autofocus functionality, in whichone or more lens elements (and/or sensors) are movable to focus an imageon a sensor. The sensor array 134 may also include a flash 136 (e.g., arear-facing flash). The flash 136 may include a multi-segment LED, asdescribed herein, or a single LED or other light emitting component.

As shown in FIG. 1D, the cameras of the sensor array 134 may bepositioned diagonally with respect to the protrusion 137 (e.g., theraised sensor array). For example, a first hole may extend through therear cover 132 at a location proximate a first corner region of thesensor array 134, and the first camera 138 may be positioned at leastpartially in the first hole, and a second hole may extend through therear cover 132 at a location proximate a second corner region diagonalfrom the first corner region of the sensor array 134, and the secondcamera 139 may be positioned at least partially in the second hole.Thus, the first and second holes, and therefore the first and secondcameras, may be positioned along a diagonal path from the first cornerto the second corner of the sensor array 134.

The second camera 139 may have an image sensor with a pixel size betweenabout 1.5 microns and about 2.0 microns, and the first camera 138 mayhave an image sensor with a pixel size between about 0.8 microns andabout 1.4 microns. If a camera with a telephoto lens is provided, it mayhave an image sensor with a pixel size between about 0.8 microns andabout 1.4 microns.

Other details about the sensor array, the individual cameras of thesensor array, and/or the flash described with respect to the device 100may be applicable to the sensor array, the individual cameras, and/orthe flash of the device 140, and such details will not be repeated hereto avoid redundancy.

FIG. 2 depicts an exploded view of an example electronic device. Inparticular, FIG. 2 depicts an exploded view of a device 200, showingvarious components of the device 200 and example arrangements andconfigurations of the components. The device 200 may be an embodiment ofthe device 100, and the description of the various components andelements of the device 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B may also be applicable tothe device 200 depicted in FIG. 2 . A redundant description of some ofthe components is not repeated herein for clarity.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the device 200 includes a cover 202 (e.g., a frontcover), which may be formed from or include a transparent or opticallytransmissive material. In some cases, the cover 202 is formed from orincludes a glass material, and may therefore be referred to as a glasscover member. The glass material may be a silica-based glass material,an aluminosilicate glass, a boroaluminosilicate glass, an alkali metalaluminosilicate glass (e.g., a lithium aluminosilicate glass), or achemically strengthened glass. Other example materials for the cover 202include, without limitation, sapphire, ceramic, glass-ceramic,crystallizable glass materials, and plastic (e.g., polycarbonate). Thecover 202 may be formed as a monolithic or unitary sheet. The cover 202may also be formed as a composite of multiple layers of differentmaterials, coatings, and other elements. In this example, the cover 202may be formed from a glass-ceramic material. A glass-ceramic materialmay include both amorphous and crystalline or non-amorphous phases ofone or more materials and may be formulated to improve strength or otherproperties of the cover 202. A glass-ceramic material may be asilica-based glass ceramic material, such as an aluminosilicate glassceramic material or a boroaluminosilicate glass ceramic material. Theglass-ceramic material may be chemically strengthened by ion exchange.In some cases, the cover 202 may include a sheet of chemicallystrengthened glass or glass-ceramic having one or more coatingsincluding an anti-reflective (AR) coating, an oleophobic coating, orother type of coating or optical treatment. In some cases, the cover 202includes a sheet of material that is less than 1 mm thick. In somecases, the sheet of material is less than 0.80 mm. In some cases, thesheet of material is approximately 0.50 mm or less. The cover 202 may bechemically strengthened using an ion exchange process to form acompressive stress layer along exterior surfaces of the cover 202.

The cover 202 extends over a substantial entirety of the front surfaceof the device and may be positioned within an opening defined by thehousing 210. As described in more detail below, the edges or sides ofthe cover 202 may be surrounded by a protective flange or lip of thehousing 210 without an interstitial component between the edges of thecover 202 and the respective flanges of the housing 210. Thisconfiguration may allow an impact or force applied to the housing 210 tobe transferred to the cover 202 without directly transferring shearstress through the display 203 or frame 204.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the display 203 is coupled to an internal surfaceof the cover 202. The display 203 may include an edge-to-edge organiclight emitting diode (OLED) display that measures 16.97 cm (6.69 inches)corner-to-corner (or 6.12 inches corner-to-corner). The perimeter ornon-active area of the display 203 may be reduced to allow for very thindevice borders around the active area of the display 203. In some cases,the display 203 allows for border regions of 1.5 mm or less. In somecases, the display 203 allows for border regions of 1 mm or less. In oneexample implementation, the border region is approximately 0.9 mm. Thedisplay 203 may have a relatively high pixel density of approximately460 pixels per inch (PPI) or greater. The display 203 may have anintegrated (on-cell) touch-sensing system. For example, an array ofelectrodes (or other touch-sensing components) that are integrated intothe OLED display may be time and/or frequency multiplexed in order toprovide both display and touch-sensing functionality. The electrodes maybe configured to detect a location of a touch, a gesture input,multi-touch input, or other types of touch input along the externalsurface of the cover 202. In some cases, the display 203 includesanother type of display element, such as a liquid-crystal display (LCD)without an integrated touch-sensing system. That is, the device 200 mayinclude one or more touch- and/or force-sensing components or layersthat are positioned between the display 203 and the cover 202.

The display 203, also referred to as a display stack, may includealways-on-display (AOD) functionality. For example, the display 203 maybe configurable to allow designated regions or subsets of pixels to bedisplayed when the device 200 is powered on such that graphical contentis visible to the user even when the device 200 is in a low-power orsleep mode. This may allow the time, date, battery status, recentnotifications, and other graphical content to be displayed in alower-power or sleep mode. This graphical content may be referred to aspersistent or always-on graphical output. While some battery power maybe consumed when displaying persistent or always-on graphical output,the power consumption is typically less than during normal or full-poweroperation of the display 203. This functionality may be enabled by onlyoperating a subset of the display pixels and/or at a reduced resolutionin order to reduce power consumption by the display 203.

The display 203 may include multiple layers, including touch-sensinglayers or components, optional force-sensing layers or components,display layers, and the like. The display 203 may define a graphicallyactive region in which graphical outputs may be displayed. In somecases, portions of the display 203 may include graphically inactiveregions, such as portions of the display layers that do not includeactive display components (e.g., pixels) or are otherwise not configuredto display graphical outputs. In some cases, graphically inactiveregions may be located along the peripheral borders or other edges ofthe display stack 203.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the device 200 may also include a frame member 204,also referred to simply as a frame 204, that is positioned below thecover 202 and that extends around at least an outer periphery of thedisplay 203. A perimeter of the frame 204 may be attached to a lower orinner surface of the cover 202. A portion of the frame 204 may extendbelow the display 203 and may attach the cover 202 to the housing 210.Because the display 203 is attached to a lower or inner surface of thecover 202, the frame 204 may also be described as attaching both thedisplay 203 and the cover 202 to the housing 210. The frame 204 may beformed of a polymer material, metal material, or combination of polymerand metal materials. The frame 204 may support elements of the displaystack, provide anchor points for flexible circuits, and/or be used tomount other components and device elements. In some cases, the frame 204includes one or more metal or conductive elements that provide shieldingbetween device components, such as between the display stack (includingdisplay components and touch sensor components) and other componentslike the haptic actuator 222, the speaker system 224, and the like.

The cover 202, display stack 203, and frame member 204 may be part of afront cover assembly 201 of the device 200. The front cover assembly 201(e.g., the cover 202 of the front cover assembly) may define a frontexterior surface of the device.

The front cover assembly 201 may be assembled as a subassembly, whichmay then be attached to a housing component. For example, as describedherein, the display 203 may be attached to the cover 202 (e.g., via atransparent adhesive), and the frame member 204 may be attached (e.g.,via adhesive) to the cover around a periphery of the display stack 203.The front cover assembly 201 may then be attached to a housing componentof the device 200 by mounting and adhering the frame member 204 to aledge defined by the housing component.

The device 200 also includes a speaker module 250 that is configured tooutput sound via a speaker port. The speaker port may be positioned inand/or at least partially defined by a recess of the cover 202. Asdescribed herein, a trim piece may be positioned at least partially inthe recess to facilitate the output of sound while also inhibiting theingress of debris, liquid, or other materials or contaminants into thedevice 200. Output from the speaker module 250 may pass through an audiopassage or acoustic path defined at least in part by the speaker module250 itself, and the trim piece. In some cases, part of the acoustic path(e.g., between the speaker module 250 and the trim piece) is defined bythe housing 210 and/or a molded material that is coupled to the housing210. For example, a molded material (e.g., a fiber-reinforced polymer)may be molded against a metal portion of the housing 210 (e.g., thehousing component 213, described herein). The molded material may alsoform one or more intermediate elements, such as joint structures, thatalso structurally join housing components together (e.g., the jointstructures 218). A port or passage (e.g., a tube-like tunnel) may bedefined through the molded material to acoustically couple the speakermodule 250 to the trim piece and/or the recess more generally, therebydirecting sound from the speaker module 250 to the exterior of thedevice 200.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the device 200 also includes one or more cameras,optical emitters, and/or sensing elements that are configured totransmit signals, receive signals, or otherwise operate along the frontsurface of the device. In this example, the device 200 includes a frontcamera 206 that includes a high-resolution camera sensor. The frontcamera 206 may have a 12 megapixel resolution sensor with opticalelements that provide an 85° field of view and an aperture number off/1.9. The front camera 206 may include autofocus functionality in whichone or more of the lens elements move (e.g., up to about 100 micronsperpendicular to the cover) in order to focus an image on the camera'ssensor. In some cases, the autofocusing front-facing camera is capableof providing continuous autofocus functionality during video capture.The device 200 also includes an optical facial recognition system 252that includes an infrared light projector and infrared light sensor thatare configured to sense an array of depth points or regions along theface of the user. The array of depth points may be characterized as aunique signature or bio-identifier, which may be used to identify theuser and unlock the device 200 or authorize functionality on the device200 like the purchase of software apps or the use of paymentfunctionality provided by the device 200.

The device 200 may also include one or more other sensors or components.For example, the device 200 may include a front light illuminatorelement for providing a flash or illumination for the front camera 206.The device 200 may also include an ambient light sensor (ALS) that isused to detect ambient light conditions for setting exposure aspects ofthe front camera 206 and/or for controlling the operation of thedisplay. The device 200 may also include a proximity sensor fordetecting the proximity of a user or other object to the device 200. Insome cases, as described herein, the proximity sensor detects proximityto other objects through an active region of the display.

The display 203 may include one or more holes extending through thedisplay to accommodate the front camera 206, the facial recognitionsystem 252, and optionally other front-facing sensors or othercomponents. In some cases, the display 203 includes two holes, includinga first hole for the front camera 206 and a second hole for the facialrecognition system 252. In some cases, the display 203 includes one hole(e.g., a single hole shared by the front camera 206 and the facialrecognition system 252). In some cases, the display 203 includes threeholes (e.g., a first hole for the front camera 206, a second hole for anemitter of the facial recognition system 252, and a third hole for areceiver of the facial recognition system 252).

FIG. 2 also illustrates one or more cameras, optical emitters, and/orsensing elements that are configured to transmit signals, receivesignals, or otherwise operate along the rear surface of the device. Asdepicted in FIG. 2 , these elements may be integrated in a sensor array260. In this example, the sensor array 260 includes a first camera 261having a 12 megapixel sensor and a telephoto lens with a 3× optical zoomand an aperture number of f/2.8. The sensor array 260 also includes asecond camera 262 having a 48 megapixel sensor with a wide angle lenshaving an aperture number of f/1.7. The sensor array 260 may alsoinclude a third camera 263 having a 12 megapixel sensor and a super-widecamera with a wide field of view (e.g., 120° FOV) and an aperture numberof f/2.2. The third camera 263 may also have an aperture number off/2.4. The first, second, and third cameras may include lens-based orsensor-based image stabilization.

The sensor array 260 also includes a light illuminator that may be usedas a flash for photography or as an auxiliary light source (e.g., aflashlight). The sensor array 260 also features an integrated chassisdesign that minimizes space while providing the precision alignmentrequired for multiple high-resolution cameras. In some cases, the sensorarray 260 also includes a microphone, an ambient light sensor, and othersensors that are adapted to sense along the rear surface of the device200.

The sensor array 260 may also include a depth sensing device 281 (whichmay correspond to or be an embodiment of the depth sensing device 149,FIG. 1B, or any other depth sensing device described herein) that isable to estimate a distance to objects positioned behind the device 200.The depth sensing device 281 may include an optical sensor that usestime-of-flight or other optical effect to measure a distance between thedevice 200 and an external object. The depth sensing device 281 mayinclude one or more optical emitters that are adapted to emit one ormore beams of light, which may be used to estimate the distance. In somecases, the one or more beams of light are coherent light beams having asubstantially uniform wavelength/frequency. A coherent light source mayfacilitate depth measurements using a time of flight, phase shift, orother optical effect. In some cases, the depth sensing device 281 uses asonic output, radio output, or other type of output that may be used tomeasure the distance between the device 200 and one or more externalobjects. The depth sensing device 281 may be positioned proximate awindow 271 (e.g., a region of the rear cover 272 or other component thatcovers the components of the sensor array 260) through which the depthsensing device 281 may send and/or receive signals (e.g., laser light,infrared light, visible light, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 2 , the cameras 261, 262, 263 may be aligned withcamera covers 266, 267, 268, respectively. The covers 266, 267, 268 maybe formed from a glass or sapphire material and may provide a clear(e.g., transparent or optically transmissive) window through which thecameras 261, 262, 263 are able to capture a photographic image. In othercases, the covers 266, 267, 268 are optical lenses that filter, magnify,or otherwise condition light received by the respective camera 261, 262,263. The other sensing or transmitting elements of the sensor array 260may transmit and/or receive signals through a region of the rear cover272 or through a separate cover that is coupled to the rear cover 272.As shown in FIG. 2 , the covers 266, 267, 268 may extend beyond theexterior surface of the cover 272, and may define a recess along theinterior side of the cover 272, such that the lens or other element ofthe cameras 261, 262, 263 can extend into the respective recesses. Inthis way, the device 200 may accommodate a larger lens or other elementsof the cameras 261, 262, 263 than would be possible if the recess werenot provided. In some cases, trim assemblies (e.g., trim assembly 269)may be coupled to the rear cover 272 and may support the covers 266,267, 268.

The device 200 also includes a battery 230. The battery 230 provideselectrical power to the device 200 and its various systems andcomponents. The battery 230 may include a 4.45 V lithium ion batterythat is encased in a foil or other enclosing element (e.g., a pouch).The battery 230 may include a rolled electrode configuration, sometimesreferred to as a “jelly roll” or a folded or stacked electrodeconfiguration. The battery 230 may be attached to the device 200 (e.g.,to a support structure 219) with one or more adhesives and/or otherattachment techniques. In one example, the battery 230 may be attachedto the support structure 219, or another structure of the device 200,with a two-layer adhesive, where a first adhesive is adhered to thebattery 230 and to a second adhesive, and the second adhesive is bondedto the first adhesive and to the support structure 219 (or otherstructure of the device 200). The first and second adhesives may havedifferent properties, such as different stiffness (e.g., Young'smodulus), different adhesive properties, or the like. For example, insome cases, the first adhesive is configured to adhere to the materialof the battery 230 (e.g., with a bond strength above a threshold value),while the second adhesive is configured to adhere to the supportstructure 219 or other structure of the device (e.g., with a bondstrength above the threshold value). In such cases, the first adhesivemay not form a sufficiently strong bond with the support structure 219,and the second adhesive may not form a sufficiently strong bond with thebattery 230, though the first and second adhesives may form asufficiently strong bond with one another. Accordingly, by using the twodifferent adhesives (e.g., in the layered configuration described) toultimately secure the battery 230 to the support structure 219, theoverall strength and/or security of the attachment may be greater thanif a single adhesive were used.

The battery 230 may be recharged via the charging port 232 (e.g., from apower cable plugged into the charging port 232 through a charging accessopening 226), and/or via a wireless charging system 240. The battery 230may be coupled to the charging port 232 and/or the wireless chargingsystem 240 via battery control circuitry that controls the powerprovided to the battery and the power provided by the battery to thedevice 200. The battery 230 may include one or more lithium ion batterycells or any other suitable type of rechargeable battery element.

The wireless charging system 240 may include a coil that inductivelycouples to an output or transmitting coil of a wireless charger. Thecoil may provide current to the device 200 to charge the battery 230and/or power the device. In this example, the wireless charging system240 includes a coil assembly 242 that includes multiple wraps of aconductive wire or other conduit that is configured to produce a(charging) current in response to being placed in an inductive chargingelectromagnetic field produced by a separate wireless charging device oraccessory. The coil assembly 242 also includes or is associated with anarray of magnetic elements that are arranged in a circular or radialpattern. The magnetic elements may help to locate the device 200 withrespect to a separate wireless charging device or other accessory. Insome implementations, the array of magnets also help to radially locate,orient, or “clock” the device 200 with respect to the separate wirelesscharging device or other accessory. For example, the array of magnetsmay include multiple magnetic elements having alternating magneticpolarity that are arranged in a radial pattern. The magnetic elementsmay be arranged to provide a magnetic coupling to the separate chargingdevice in a particular orientation or set of discrete orientations tohelp locate the device 200 with respect to the separate charging deviceor other accessory. This functionality may be described as self-aligningor self-locating wireless charging. As shown in FIG. 2 , the device 200also includes a magnetic fiducial 244 for helping to locate the separatewireless charging device or accessory. In one example, the magneticfiducial 244 is adapted to magnetically couple to a cable or power cordof the separate wireless charging device or other accessory. By couplingto the cable or power cord, the rotational alignment of the device 200and the separate wireless charging device or other accessory may bemaintained with respect to an absolute or single position. Also, bymagnetically coupling the cable or cord to the rear surface of thedevice 200, the charging device or other accessory may be more securelycoupled to the device 200.

In some implementations, the wireless charging system 240 includes anantenna or other element that detects the presence of a charging deviceor other accessory. In some cases, the charging system includes anear-field communications (NFC) antenna that is adapted to receiveand/or send wireless communications between the device 200 and thewireless charger or other accessory. In some cases, the device 200 isadapted to perform wireless communications to detect or sense thepresence of the wireless charger or other accessory without using adedicated NFC antenna. The communications may also include informationregarding the status of the device, the amount of charge held by thebattery 230, and/or control signals to increase charging, decreasecharging, start charging, and/or stop charging for a wireless chargingoperation.

The device 200 may also include a speaker system 224. The speaker system224 may be positioned in the device 200 so that a respective port 235 isaligned with or otherwise proximate an audio output of the speakersystem 224. Accordingly, sound that is output by the speaker system 224exits the housing 210 via the respective port 235. The speaker system224 may include a speaker positioned in a housing that defines a speakervolume (e.g., an empty space in front of or behind a speaker diaphragm).The speaker volume may be used to tune the audio output from the speakerand optionally mitigate destructive interference of the sound producedby the speaker.

The device 200 may also include a haptic actuator 222. The hapticactuator 222 may include a movable mass and an actuation system that isconfigured to move the mass to produce a haptic output. The actuationsystem may include one or more coils and one or more magnets (e.g.,permanent and/or electromagnets) that interact to produce motion. Themagnets may be or may include recycled magnetic material.

When the coil(s) are energized, the coil(s) may cause the mass to move,which results in a force being imparted on the device 200. The motion ofthe mass may be configured to cause a vibration, pulse, tap, or othertactile output detectable via an exterior surface of the device 200. Thehaptic actuator 222 may be configured to move the mass linearly, thoughother movements (e.g., rotational) are also contemplated. Other types ofhaptic actuators may be used instead of or in addition to the hapticactuator 222.

The device 200 also includes a circuit board assembly 220. The circuitboard assembly 220 may include a substrate, and processors, memory, andother circuit elements coupled to the substrate. The circuit boardassembly 220 may include multiple circuit substrates that are stackedand coupled together in order to maximize the area available forelectronic components and circuitry in a compact form factor. Thecircuit board assembly 220 may include provisions for a subscriberidentity module (SIM). The circuit board assembly 220 may includeelectrical contacts and/or a SIM tray assembly for receiving a physicalSIM card and/or the circuit board assembly 220 may include provisionsfor an electronic SIM. The circuit board assembly 220 may be wholly orpartially encapsulated to reduce the chance of damage due to ingress ofwater or other fluid.

The circuit board assembly 220 may also include wireless communicationcircuitry, which may be operably coupled to and/or otherwise use thehousing components 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, or 216 (or portions thereof)as radiating members to provide wireless communications. The circuitboard assembly 220 may also include components such as accelerometers,gyroscopes, near-field communications circuitry and/or antennas,compasses, and the like. In some implementations, the circuit boardassembly 220 may include a magnetometer that is adapted to detect and/orlocate an accessory. For example, the magnetometer may be adapted todetect a magnetic (or non-magnetic) signal produced by an accessory ofthe device 200 or other device. The output of the magnetometer mayinclude a direction output that may be used to display a directionalindicia or other navigational guidance on the display 203 in order toguide the user toward a location of the accessory or other device.

The device 200 may also include one or more pressure transducers thatmay be operable to detect changes in external pressure in order todetermine changes in altitude or height. The pressure sensors may beexternally ported and/or positioned within a water-sealed internalvolume of the housing 210. The output of the pressure sensors may beused to track flights of stairs climbed, a location (e.g., a floor) of amulti-story structure, movement performed during an activity in order toestimate physical effort or calories burned, or other relative movementof the device 200. A pressure transducer may be positioned in a module237 that is in fluidic communication with the exterior environmentthrough ports 225 in the housing 210. The module 237 may includeadditional components, such as a microphone and a barometric vent (e.g.,to allow pressure equalization between the interior of the device 200and the exterior environment, while inhibiting water ingress).

The circuit board assembly 220 may also include global positioningsystem (GPS) electronics that may be used to determine the location ofthe device 200 with respect to one or more satellites (e.g., a GlobalNavigation Satellite System (GNSS)) in order to estimate an absolutionlocation of the device 200. In some implementations, the GPS electronicsare operable to utilize dual frequency bands. For example, the GPSelectronics may use L1 (L1C), L2 (L2C), L5, L1+L5, and other GPS signalbands in order to estimate the location of the device 200.

The housing 210 may also include a support structure 219, which may beattached to the housing 210. The support structure 219 may be formed ofmetal, and may act as a structural mounting point for components of thedevice 200. The support structure 219 may define an opening thatcorresponds to the size of the coil assembly 242 of the wirelesscharging system 240, such that the support structure 219 does not shieldthe wireless coil assembly 242 or otherwise negatively affect theinductive coupling between the coil of the charging system 240 and anexternal wireless charger or accessory. In some cases, the supportstructure 219 is attached to the cover 272 (e.g., with adhesive and/orother fastening techniques and/or components) to form a subassembly thatincludes the cover 272 and the support structure 219, which is thenattached to the housing 210.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the housing may include a cover 272 (e.g., back orrear cover 272) that may define a substantial entirety of the rearsurface of the device 200. The rear cover 272, the front cover 202, andthe housing 210 may at least partially define an enclosure of the device200, which may define an internal volume in which components of thedevice 200 are positioned. The cover 272 may be formed from or include atransparent or optically transmissive material. For example, the cover272 may include a substrate formed from or including a glass material orother suitable material (e.g., a silica-based glass material, analuminosilicate glass, a boroaluminosilicate glass, an alkali metalaluminosilicate glass, a chemically strengthened glass, sapphire,ceramic, glass-ceramic, crystallizable glass materials, or plastic). Aglass-ceramic material may be a silica-based glass ceramic material,such as an aluminosilicate glass ceramic material or aboroaluminosilicate glass ceramic material. The glass-ceramic materialmay be chemically strengthened by ion exchange. The substrate may haveportions that are less than 1 mm thick. In some cases, the substrate hasportions that are less than 0.80 mm. In some cases, the substrate hasportions that are approximately 0.60 mm or less. The cover 272 may havea uniform thickness or, in some cases, may have a thickened or raisedportion that surrounds the camera covers 263, 264. The cover 272 may bemachined (e.g., ground) into a final shape before being polished and/ortextured to provide the desired surface finish. The texture may bespecially configured to provide a matte appearance while also beingresistant to collecting a buildup of skin, lint, or other debris. Aseries of cosmetic layers may be formed along the inner surface of thecover 272 to provide a desired optical effect and final color of thedevice 200.

The cover 272 may be part of a rear cover assembly 273. The rear coverassembly 273 may be coupled to the housing 210. In some cases, the rearcover assembly 273 includes components such as the camera covers 266,267, 268, the trim assemblies (e.g., trim assemblies 269) components ofa wireless charging system, structural components (e.g., frames),mounting clips, and/or other components, systems, subsystems, and/ormaterials.

Similar to as described above with respect to cover 202, the cover 272may be positioned at least partially within an opening defined in thehousing 210. Also similar to as described above with respect to cover202, the edges or sides of the cover 272 may be surrounded by aprotective flange or lip of the housing 210 without an interstitialcomponent between the edges of the cover 272 and the respective flangesof the housing 210. The cover 272 is typically chemically strengthenedusing an ion exchange process to form a compressive stress layer alongexterior surfaces of the cover 272.

As described above, the housing 210 may include housing components 211,212, 213, 214, 215, and 216 structurally joined together via jointstructures 218. The joint structures 218 (e.g., the material of thejoint structures) may extend over inner surfaces of the housingcomponents. More particularly, a portion of the joint structures 218 maycontact, cover, encapsulate, and/or engage with retention features ofthe housing components that extend from the inner surfaces of thehousing components.

Housing components 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, and 216 may also be referredto herein as housing segments and may be formed from aluminum, stainlesssteel, or other metal or metal alloy material. As described herein, thehousing components 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, and 216 may provide a robustand impact resistant sidewall for the device 200. In the presentexample, the housing components 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, and 216 definea flat sidewall that extends around the perimeter of the device 200. Theflat sidewall may include rounded or chamfered edges that define theupper and lower edges of the sidewall of the housing 210. The housingcomponents 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, and 216 may each have a flangeportion or lip that extends around and at least partially covers arespective side of the front and rear covers 202, 272. There may be nointerstitial material or elements between the flange portion or lip andthe respective side surface of the front and rear covers 202, 272. Thismay allow forces or impacts that are applied to the housing 210 to betransferred to the front and rear covers 202, 272 without affecting thedisplay or other internal structural elements, which may improve thedrop performance of the device 200.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the device 200 includes multiple antennas that maybe adapted to conduct wireless communication using a 5G communicationprotocol. In particular, the device 200 may include a (side-fired)antenna array 282 that is configured to transmit and receive wirelesscommunication signals through an antenna window 283 or waveguide formedalong or otherwise integrated with the sidewall of the housing 210. Theside-fired antenna array 282 may be coupled to the circuit boardassembly 220 via a flexible circuit element or other conductiveconnection, as described herein, and may include multiple radiatingelements (e.g., 5 radiating elements) that send and/or receive wirelesssignals. The device 200 may also include a rear antenna module that mayinclude one or more (rear-fired) antenna arrays that may be configuredto transmit and receive wireless communication signals through the cover272. The antenna module may be attached to a back or bottom surface ofthe circuit board assembly 220.

The antenna modules may include multiple antenna arrays. For example,the antenna modules may include one or more millimeter-wave antennaarrays. In the case where the antenna modules include multiplemillimeter-wave antenna arrays (each of which may include one or moreradiating elements), the multiple millimeter-wave antenna arrays may beconfigured to operate according to a diversity scheme (e.g., spatialdiversity, pattern diversity, polarization diversity, or the like). Theantenna modules may also include one or more ultra-wideband antennas.

The antenna arrays may be adapted to conduct millimeter wave 5Gcommunications and may be adapted to use or be used with beam-forming orother techniques to adapt signal reception depending on the use case.The device 200 may also include multiple antennas for conductingmultiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) wireless communications schemes,including 4G, 4G LTE, and/or 5G MIMO communication protocols. Asdescribed herein, one or more of the housing components 211, 212, 213,214, 215, and 216 (or portions thereof) may be adapted to operate asantennas for a MIMO wireless communication scheme (or other wirelesscommunication scheme).

FIG. 3 depicts an exploded view of an example electronic device. Inparticular, FIG. 3 depicts an exploded view of a device 300, showingvarious components of the device 300 and example arrangements andconfigurations of the components. The device 200 may be an embodiment ofthe device 140, and the description of the various components andelements of device 100 of FIGS. 1A and 1B may also be applicable to thedevice 300 depicted in FIG. 3 . A redundant description of some of thecomponents is not repeated herein for clarity.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the device 300 includes a cover 302 (e.g., a frontcover), which may be formed from or include a transparent or opticallytransmissive material. In some cases, the cover 302 is formed from orincludes a glass material or other suitable transparent or opticallytransmissive material (e.g., a silica-based glass material, analuminosilicate glass, a boroaluminosilicate glass, an alkali metalaluminosilicate glass, a chemically strengthened glass, sapphire,ceramic, glass-ceramic, crystallizable glass materials, or plastic). Inthis example, the cover 302 may be formed from a glass-ceramic material.A glass-ceramic material may include both amorphous and crystalline ornon-amorphous phases of one or more materials and may be formulated toimprove strength or other properties of the cover 302. A glass-ceramicmaterial may be a silica-based glass ceramic material, such as analuminosilicate glass ceramic material or a boroaluminosilicate glassceramic material. The glass-ceramic material may be chemicallystrengthened by ion exchange. In some cases, the cover 302 may include asheet of chemically strengthened material having one or more coatingsincluding an anti-reflective (AR) coating, an oleophobic coating, orother type of coating or optical treatment. In some cases, the cover 302includes a sheet of material that is less than 1 mm thick. In somecases, the sheet of material is less than 0.80 mm. In some cases, thesheet of material is approximately 0.60 mm or less. The cover 302 may bechemically strengthened using an ion exchange process to form acompressive stress layer along exterior surfaces of the cover 302.

The cover 302 extends over a substantial entirety of the front surfaceof the device and may be positioned within an opening defined by thehousing structure 310. In some cases, the edges or sides of the cover302 may be surrounded by a protective flange or lip of the housingstructure 310 without an interstitial component between the edges of thecover 302 and the respective flanges of the housing structure 310. Thisconfiguration may allow an impact or force applied to the housingstructure 310 to be transferred to the cover 302 without directlytransferring shear stress through the display 303 or frame 304.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the display 303 is attached to an internal surfaceof the cover 302. The display 303 may include an edge-to-edge organiclight emitting diode (OLED) display that measures 15.4 cm (6.1 inches)corner-to-corner. The perimeter or non-active area of the display 303may be reduced to allow for very thin device borders around the activearea of the display 303. In some cases, the display 303 allows forborder regions of 1.5 mm or less. In some cases, the display 303 allowsfor border regions of 1 mm or less. In one example implementation, theborder region is approximately 0.9 mm. The display 303 may have arelatively high pixel density of approximately 460 pixels per inch (PPI)or greater. In some cases, the display 303 has a pixel density ofapproximately 475 PPI. The display 303 may have an integrated (on-cell)touch-sensing system. For example, an array of electrodes (or othertouch-sensing components) that are integrated into the OLED display maybe time and/or frequency multiplexed in order to provide both displayand touch-sensing functionality. The electrodes may be configured todetect a location of a touch, a gesture input, multi-touch input, orother types of touch input along the external surface of the cover 302.In some cases, the display 303 includes another type of display element,such as a liquid-crystal display (LCD) without an integratedtouch-sensing system. That is, the device 300 may include one or moretouch- and/or force-sensing components or layers that are positionedbetween the display 303 and the cover 302.

The display 303, also referred to as a display stack, may includealways-on-display (AOD) functionality. For example, the display 303 maybe configurable to allow designated regions or subsets of pixels to bedisplayed when the device 300 is powered on such that graphical contentis visible to the user even when the device 300 is in a low-power orsleep mode. This may allow the time, date, battery status, recentnotifications, and other graphical content to be displayed in alower-power or sleep mode. This graphical content may be referred to aspersistent or always-on graphical output. While some battery power maybe consumed when displaying persistent or always-on graphical output,the power consumption is typically less than during normal or full-poweroperation of the display 303. This functionality may be enabled by onlyoperating a subset of the display pixels and/or at a reduced resolutionin order to reduce power consumption by the display 303.

The display 303 may include multiple layers, including touch-sensinglayers or components, optional force-sensing layers or components,display layers, and the like. The display 303 may define a graphicallyactive region in which graphical outputs may be displayed. In somecases, portions of the display 303 may include graphically inactiveregions, such as portions of the display layers that do not includeactive display components (e.g., pixels) or are otherwise not configuredto display graphical outputs. In some cases, graphically inactiveregions may be located along the peripheral borders or other edges ofthe display stack 303.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the device 300 may also include a frame member 304,also referred to simply as a frame 304, that is positioned below thecover 302 and that extends around an outer periphery of the display 303.A perimeter of the frame 304 may be attached to a lower or inner surfaceof the cover 302. A portion of the frame 304 may extend below thedisplay 303 and may attach the cover 302 to the housing structure 310.Because the display 303 is attached to a lower or inner surface of thecover 302, the frame 304 may also be described as attaching both thedisplay 303 and the cover 302 to the housing structure 310. The frame304 may be formed of a polymer material, a metal material, or acombination of polymer and metal materials. The frame 304 may supportelements of the display stack, provide anchor points for flexiblecircuits, and/or be used to mount other components and device elements.In some cases, the frame 304 includes one or more metal or conductiveelements that provide shielding between device components, such asbetween the display stack (including display components and touch sensorcomponents) and other components like the haptic actuator 322, thespeaker system 324, and the like.

The cover 302, display or display stack 303, and frame member 304 may bepart of a front cover assembly 301 of the device 300. The front coverassembly 301 (e.g., a front cover of the front cover assembly) maydefine a front exterior surface of the device. The front cover assembly301 may be assembled as a subassembly, which may then be attached to ahousing component. For example, as described herein, the display 303 maybe attached to the cover 302 (e.g., via a transparent adhesive), and theframe member 304 may be attached (e.g., via adhesive) to the coveraround a periphery of the display stack 303. The front cover assembly301 may then be attached to a housing component of the device 300 bymounting and adhering the frame member 304 to a ledge defined by thehousing component.

The device 300 also includes a speaker module 350 that is configured tooutput sound via a speaker port. The speaker port may be positioned inand/or at least partially defined by a recess 351 of the cover 302. Asdescribed herein, a trim piece may be positioned at least partially inthe recess 351 to facilitate the output of sound while also inhibitingthe ingress of debris, liquid, or other materials or contaminants intothe device 300. Output from the speaker module 350 may pass through anaudio passage or acoustic path defined at least in part by the speakermodule 350 itself and the trim piece. In some cases, part of theacoustic path (e.g., between the speaker module 350 and the trim piece)is defined by the housing structure 310 and/or a molded material that iscoupled to the housing structure 310. For example, a molded material(e.g., a fiber-reinforced polymer) may be molded against a metal portionof the housing structure 310 (e.g., the housing component 313, describedherein). The molded material may also form one or more intermediateelements, such as joint structures, that also structurally join housingcomponents together (e.g., the joint structures 318). A port or passage(e.g., a tube-like tunnel) may be defined through the molded material toacoustically couple the speaker module 350 to the trim piece and/or therecess 351 more generally, thereby directing sound from the speakermodule 350 to the exterior of the device 300.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the device 300 also includes one or more cameras,optical emitters, and/or sensing elements that are configured totransmit signals, receive signals, or otherwise operate along the frontsurface of the device. In this example, the device 300 includes a frontcamera 306 that includes a high-resolution camera sensor. The frontcamera 306 may have a 12 megapixel resolution sensor with opticalelements that provide an 85° field of view. The front camera 306 mayhave an aperture number of f/1.9. The front camera 306 may includeautofocus functionality in which one or more of the lens elements move(e.g., up to about 100 microns perpendicular to the cover) in order tofocus an image on the camera's sensor. In some cases, the autofocusingfront-facing camera is capable of providing continuous autofocusfunctionality during video capture. The device 300 also includes anoptical facial recognition system 352 that includes an infrared lightprojector and infrared light sensor that are configured to sense anarray of depth points or regions along the face of the user. The arrayof depth points may be characterized as a unique signature orbio-identifier, which may be used to identify the user and unlock thedevice 300 or authorize functionality on the device 300 like thepurchase of software apps or the use of payment functionality providedby the device 300.

The device 300 may also include one or more other sensors or components.For example, the device 300 may include a front light illuminatorelement for providing a flash or illumination for the front camera 306.The device 300 may also include an ambient light sensor (ALS) that isused to detect ambient light conditions for setting exposure aspects ofthe front camera 306 and/or for controlling the operation of thedisplay.

FIG. 3 also illustrates one or more cameras, optical emitters, and/orsensing elements that are configured to transmit signals, receivesignals, or otherwise operate along the rear surface of the device. Asdepicted in FIG. 3 , these elements may be part of a sensor array 360.In this example, the sensor array 360 includes a first camera 361 havinga 12 megapixel image sensor and a wide angle lens with an aperturenumber of f/1.6. The first camera 361 may also include a dual photodiodesensor having an APS+ sensor format. The sensor array 360 may alsoinclude a second camera 362 having a 12 megapixel image sensor and asuper-wide angle lens (120° FOV) with an aperture number of f/2.4. Thesensor array 360 also includes a light illuminator that may be used as aflash for photography or as an auxiliary light source (e.g., aflashlight). In some cases, the sensor array 360 also includes amicrophone, an ambient light sensor, a depth sensing device, and/orother sensors that are adapted to sense along the rear surface of thedevice 300.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the cameras 361 and 362 may be aligned with cameracovers 363 and 364, respectively. The covers 363, 364 may be formed froma glass, glass-ceramic, or sapphire material and may provide a clear(e.g., transparent or optically transmissive) window through which thecameras 361, 362 are able to capture a photographic image. In othercases, the covers 363, 364 are optical lenses that filter, magnify, orotherwise condition light received by the respective camera 361, 362.The other sensing or transmitting elements of the sensor array 360 maytransmit and/or receive signals through a region of the rear or rearcover 372 or through a separate cover that is coupled to the rear cover372. As shown in FIG. 3 , the covers 363, 364 may extend beyond theexterior surface of the cover 372, and may define a recess along theinterior side of the cover 372, such that the lens or other element ofthe cameras 361 and 362 can extend into the respective recesses. In thisway, the device 300 may accommodate a larger lens or other elements ofthe cameras 361 and 362 than would be possible if the recess were notprovided. In some cases, trim assemblies 365, 366 may be coupled to thecover 372 and may support the covers 363, 364.

The device 300 also includes a battery 330. The battery 330 provideselectrical power to the device 300 and its various systems andcomponents. The battery 330 may include a 4.40 V lithium ion batterythat is encased in a foil or other enclosing element. The battery 330may include a rolled electrode configuration, sometimes referred to as a“jelly roll” or a folded or stacked electrode configuration. The battery330 may be recharged via the charging port 332 (e.g., from a power cableplugged into the charging port 332 through a charging access opening326), and/or via a wireless charging system 340. The battery 330 may becoupled to the charging port 332 and/or the wireless charging system 340via battery control circuitry that controls the power provided to thebattery and the power provided by the battery to the device 300. Thebattery 330 may include one or more lithium ion battery cells or anyother suitable type of rechargeable battery element.

The wireless charging system 340 may include a coil that inductivelycouples to an output or transmitting coil of a wireless charger. Thecoil may provide current to the device 300 to charge the battery 330and/or power the device. In this example, the wireless charging system340 includes a coil assembly 342 that includes multiple wraps of aconductive wire or other conduit that is configured to produce a(charging) current in response to being placed in an inductive chargingelectromagnetic field produced by a separate wireless charging device oraccessory. The coil assembly 342 also includes an array of magneticelements that are arranged in a circular or radial pattern. The magneticelements may help to locate the device 300 with respect to a separatewireless charging device or other accessory. In some implementations,the array of magnets also help to radially locate, orient, or “clock”the device 300 with respect to the separate wireless charging device orother accessory. For example, the array of magnets may include multiplemagnetic elements having alternating magnetic polarity that are arrangedin a radial pattern. The magnetic elements may be arranged to provide amagnetic coupling to the separate charging device in a particularorientation or set of discrete orientations to help locate the device300 with respect to the separate charging device or other accessory.This functionality may be described as self-aligning or self-locatingwireless charging. As shown in FIG. 3 , the device 300 also includes amagnetic fiducial 344 for helping to locate the separate wirelesscharging device or accessory. In one example, the magnetic fiducial 344is adapted to magnetically couple to a cable or power cord of theseparate wireless charging device or other accessory. By coupling to thecable or power cord, the rotational alignment of the device 300 and theseparate wireless charging device or other accessory may be maintainedwith respect to an absolute or single position. Also, by magneticallycoupling the cable or cord to the rear surface of the device 300, thecharging device or other accessory may be more securely coupled to thedevice 300.

In some implementations, the wireless charging system 340 includes anantenna or other element that detects the presence of a charging deviceor other accessory. In some cases, the charging system includes anear-field communications (NFC) antenna that is adapted to receiveand/or send wireless communications between the device 300 and thewireless charger or other accessory. In some cases, the device 300 isadapted to perform wireless communications to detect or sense thepresence of the wireless charger or other accessory without using adedicated NFC antenna. The communications may also include informationregarding the status of the device, the amount of charge held by thebattery 330, and/or control signals to increase charging, decreasecharging, start charging and/or stop charging for a wireless chargingoperation.

The device 300 may also include a speaker system 324. The speaker system324 may be positioned in the device 300 so that a respective port 325 isaligned with or otherwise proximate an audio output of the speakersystem 324. Accordingly, sound that is output by the speaker system 324exits the housing structure 310 via the respective port 325. The speakersystem 324 may include a speaker positioned in a housing that defines aspeaker volume (e.g., an empty space in front of or behind a speakerdiaphragm). The speaker volume may be used to tune the audio output fromthe speaker and optionally mitigate destructive interference of thesound produced by the speaker.

The device 300 may also include a haptic actuator 322. The hapticactuator 322 may include a movable mass and an actuation system that isconfigured to move the mass to produce a haptic output. The actuationsystem may include one or more coils and one or more magnets (e.g.,permanent and/or electromagnets) that interact to produce motion. Themagnets may be or may include recycled magnetic material.

When the coil(s) are energized, the coil(s) may cause the mass to move,which results in a force being imparted on the device 300. The motion ofthe mass may be configured to cause a vibration, pulse, tap, or othertactile output detectable via an exterior surface of the device 300. Thehaptic actuator 322 may be configured to move the mass linearly, thoughother movements (e.g., rotational) are also contemplated. Other types ofhaptic actuators may be used instead of or in addition to the hapticactuator 322.

The device 300 also includes a circuit board assembly 320 (which mayalso be referred to as a circuit board assembly). The circuit boardassembly 320 may include a substrate, and processors, memory, and othercircuit elements coupled to the substrate. The circuit board assembly320 may include multiple circuit substrates that are stacked and coupledtogether in order to maximize the area available for electroniccomponents and circuitry in a compact form factor. The circuit boardassembly 320 may include provisions for a subscriber identity module(SIM). The circuit board assembly 320 may include electrical contactsand/or a SIM tray assembly for receiving a physical SIM card and/or thecircuit board assembly 320 may include provisions for an electronic SIM.The circuit board assembly 320 may be wholly or partially encapsulatedto reduce the chance of damage due to ingress of water or other fluid.

The circuit board assembly 320 may be thermally coupled to a mid-chassissection 323 of the housing structure 310. As described herein, themid-chassis section 323, also referred to simply as a chassis 323, maybe part of a housing component 314 (e.g., a middle housing component)that is formed from a unitary structure and that defines the chassis 323as well as a first wall section 317 that defines a first side exteriorsurface of the device 300, and a second wall section 319 that defines asecond side exterior surface of the device 300. The circuit boardassembly 320 may be thermally coupled to the chassis 323 via one or morethermal bridges, such as a graphite structure, a graphite-wrapped foam,or other thermally conductive structure(s). Heat from the circuit boardassembly may be transferred to the chassis 323 via the thermal bridges,thereby removing heat from the circuit board assembly 320 (where heatmay be detrimental to durability, performance, or the like), and alsodrawing heat away from exterior surfaces and/or components of the device300 that come into contact with a user (e.g., the wall sections 317,319, which define exterior side surfaces of the device and which may beheld by a user when the device 300 is in use).

The circuit board assembly 320 may also include wireless communicationcircuitry, which may be operably coupled to and/or otherwise use thewall sections and/or housing components 312, 313, 317, 315, 316, or 319(or portions thereof) as radiating members or structures to providewireless communications. The circuit board assembly 320 may also includecomponents such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, near-field communicationscircuitry and/or antennas, compasses, and the like. In someimplementations, the circuit board assembly 320 may include amagnetometer that is adapted to detect and/or locate an accessory. Forexample, the magnetometer may be adapted to detect a magnetic (ornon-magnetic) signal produced by an accessory of the device 300 or otherdevice. The output of the magnetometer may include a direction outputthat may be used to display a directional indicia or other navigationalguidance on the display 303 in order to guide the user toward a locationof the accessory or other device.

The device 300 may also include one or more pressure transducers thatmay be operable to detect changes in external pressure in order todetermine changes in altitude or height. The pressure sensors may beexternally ported and/or positioned within a water-sealed internalvolume of the housing structure 310. The output of the pressure sensorsmay be used to track flights of stairs climbed, a location (e.g., afloor) of a multi-story structure, movement performed during an activityin order to estimate physical effort or calories burned, or otherrelative movement of the device 300.

The circuit board assembly 320 may also include global positioningsystem (GPS) electronics that may be used to determine the location ofthe device 300 with respect to one or more satellites (e.g., a GlobalNavigation Satellite System (GNSS)) in order to estimate an absolutionlocation of the device 300. In some implementations, the GPS electronicsare operable to utilize dual frequency bands. For example, the GPSelectronics may use L1 (L1C), L2 (L2C), L5, L1+L5, and other GPS signalbands in order to estimate the location of the device 300.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the housing may include a cover 372 (e.g., rear orrear cover) that may define a substantial entirety of the rear surfaceof the device 300. The rear cover 372, the front cover 302, and thehousing structure 310 may at least partially define an enclosure of thedevice 300, which may define an internal volume in which components ofthe device 300 are positioned. The cover 372 may be formed from orinclude a transparent or optically transmissive material. For example,the cover 372 may include a substrate formed from or including a glassmaterial or other suitable material (e.g., a silica-based glassmaterial, an aluminosilicate glass, a boroaluminosilicate glass, analkali metal aluminosilicate glass, a chemically strengthened glass,sapphire, ceramic, glass-ceramic, crystallizable glass materials, orplastic). A glass-ceramic material may be a silica-based glass ceramicmaterial, such as an aluminosilicate glass ceramic material or aboroaluminosilicate glass ceramic material. The glass-ceramic materialmay be chemically strengthened by ion exchange. The substrate may haveportions that are less than 1 mm thick. In some cases, the substrate hasportions that are less than 0.80 mm. In some cases, the substrate hasportions that are approximately 0.60 mm or less. The cover 372 may havea uniform thickness or, in some cases, may have a thickened or raisedportion that surrounds the camera covers 363, 364. The cover 372 may bemachined (e.g., ground) into a final shape before being polished and/ortextured to provide the desired surface finish. The texture may bespecially configured to provide a matte appearance while also beingresistant to collecting a buildup of skin, lint, or other debris. Aseries of cosmetic layers may be formed along the inner surface of thecover 372 to provide a desired optical effect and final color of thedevice 300.

The cover 372 may be part of a rear cover assembly 373. The rear coverassembly 373 may be coupled to the housing structure 310. In some cases,the rear cover assembly 373 includes components such as camera covers363 and 364, trim assemblies 365, 366, components of a wireless chargingsystem, structural components (e.g., frames), trim assemblies, mountingclips, and/or other components, systems, subsystems, and/or materials.

Similar to as described above with respect to cover 302, the cover 372may be positioned at least partially within an opening defined in thehousing structure 310. Also similar to as described above with respectto cover 302, the edges or sides of the cover 372 may be surrounded by aprotective flange or lip of the housing structure 310 without aninterstitial component between the edges of the cover 372 and therespective flanges of the housing structure 310. The cover 372 may bechemically strengthened using an ion exchange process to form acompressive stress layer along exterior surfaces of the cover 372. Insome cases, the (rear) cover 372 is formed from the same or a similarmaterial as (front) cover 302.

The rear cover 372 may be removably coupled to the rest of the housingstructure 310 such that the rear cover 372 can be removed and/orreplaced quickly and efficiently. In some cases, the wireless chargingsystem 340 is the only component that is attached to the rear cover 372that needs to be electrically coupled to the circuit board assembly 320(which is coupled to the housing component 314). Accordingly, the rearcover 372 may be completely removed from the device by unfastening therear cover 372 from the remainder of the housing (e.g., from the housingcomponent 314) and decoupling the wireless charging system's electricalconnector(s). In this way, the device 300 may provide improvedreparability.

The housing structure 310 may include a housing component 314 (e.g., amiddle housing component 314) that includes the wall sections 317 and319 and the mid-chassis section 323 (e.g., a metal plate-like structurethat extends between the wall sections 317 and 319). The chassis 323 maydefine a mounting structure for components of the device 300. Forexample, as described herein, components such as the circuit boardassembly 320, battery 330, sensor array 360, receiver 350, speakermodule 324, haptic actuator 322, and the like, may be coupled to thechassis 323 (e.g., along a rear-facing side of the chassis 323). Bycoupling components to the chassis 323 instead of the front coverassembly 301 and/or the rear cover 372, the cost and complexity of thefront cover assembly 301 and rear cover assembly 373 may be reduced, andremoval and/or replacement of the front cover assembly 301 and/or rearcover 372 may be simplified. The chassis 323 may also define one or moreholes extending therethrough to facilitate the coupling of components onone side of the chassis 323 (e.g., the display 303 and/or sensors of thefront cover assembly 301) to components on the other side of the chassis323 (e.g., the circuit board assembly 320). Additionally, as notedabove, the chassis 323 may also be thermally coupled to components ofthe device 300, such as the circuit board assembly 320, to conduct heataway from the thermally coupled components.

The housing component 314 may be a unitary structure formed from asingle piece of material. For example, the unitary structure of thehousing component 314 may be a metal, such as aluminum, steel, titanium,or the like and may be formed by extrusion, machining, and/orcombinations of these and other forming processes. Thus, the wallsections 317 and 319 (which define side exterior surfaces of the device300) and the chassis 323 may be different portions of a single piece ofmaterial. In some cases the housing component 314 is formed of a polymermaterial, reinforced polymer material (e.g., fiber reinforced), carbonfiber, or other suitable material.

As described above, the housing structure 310 may include housingcomponents 312, 313, 315, and 316 structurally joined together and/or tothe housing component 314 (the middle housing component 314) via jointstructures 318. The joint structures 318 (e.g., the material of thejoint structures) may extend over inner surfaces of the housingcomponents. More particularly, a portion of the joint structures 318 maycontact, cover, encapsulate, and/or engage with retention features ofthe housing components that extend from the inner surfaces of thehousing components (including, for example, from the wall sections ofthe middle housing component 314). As the wall sections 317 and 319 arepart of a single unitary structure, the joint structures 318 may alsofunction to structurally join the housing components 312, 313, 315, and316 to the housing component 314. When coupled via the joint structures318, the housing component 314, the housing components 312, 313, 315,and 316, and the joint structures 318 may define a main housing assemblythat defines the exterior side surfaces of the device 300 as well as thechassis 323 within the device.

Housing components 312, 313, 315, and 316 may also be referred to hereinas housing segments and may be formed from aluminum, stainless steel, orother metal or metal alloy material. As described herein, the housingcomponents 312, 313, 315, and 316, and the wall sections 317, 319, mayprovide a robust and impact resistant sidewall for the device 300. Inthe present example, the housing components 312, 313, 315, and 316 andthe wall sections 317, 319 define a flat sidewall that extends aroundthe perimeter of the device 300. The flat sidewall may include roundedor chamfered edges that define the upper and lower edges of the sidewallof the housing structure 310. The housing components 312, 313, 315, and316 and the wall sections 317, 319 may each have a flange portion or lipthat extends around and at least partially covers a respective side ofthe front and rear covers 302, 372. There may be no interstitialmaterial or elements between the flange portion or lip and therespective side surface of the front and rear covers 302, 372. This mayallow forces or impacts that are applied to the housing structure 310 tobe transferred to the front and rear covers 302, 372 without affectingthe display or other internal structural elements, which may improve thedrop performance of the device 300.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the device 300 includes multiple antennas that maybe adapted to conduct wireless communication using a 5G communicationprotocol. In particular, the device 300 may include a (side-fired)antenna array 382 that is configured to transmit and receive wirelesscommunication signals through an antenna window 383 or waveguide formedalong or otherwise integrated with the side wall of the housingstructure 310. The side-fired antenna array 382 may be coupled to thecircuit board assembly 320 via a flexible circuit element or otherconductive connection, as described herein. The device 300 may alsoinclude a rear antenna module that may include one or more (rear-fired)antenna arrays that may be configured to transmit and receive wirelesscommunication signals through the cover 372. The antenna module may beattached to a back or bottom surface of the circuit board assembly 320.

The antenna modules may include multiple antenna arrays. For example,the antenna modules may include one or more millimeter-wave antennaarrays. In the case where the antenna modules include multiplemillimeter-wave antenna arrays (each of which may include one or moreradiating elements), the multiple millimeter-wave antenna arrays may beconfigured to operate according to a diversity scheme (e.g., spatialdiversity, pattern diversity, polarization diversity, or the like). Theantenna modules may also include one or more ultra-wideband antennas.

Each of the antenna arrays (e.g., the antenna array 382 and themillimeter-wave arrays of the antenna module) may be adapted to conductmillimeter wave 5G communications and may be adapted to use or be usedwith beam-forming or other techniques to adapt signal receptiondepending on the use case. The device 300 may also include multipleantennas for conducting multiple-in multiple-out (MIMO) wirelesscommunications schemes, including 4G, 4G LTE, and/or 5G MIMOcommunication protocols. As described herein, one or more of the housingcomponents 312, 313, 315, and 316 and the wall sections 317, 319 (orportions thereof) may be adapted to operate as antennas for a MIMOwireless communication scheme (or other wireless communication scheme).

FIG. 4A depicts a partial exploded view of an example electronic device400. The electronic device 400 may correspond to or be an embodiment ofthe electronic devices 140, 300, or any other device described herein.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the device 400 may include an enclosure thatdefines an interior cavity and includes a rear cover assembly 402, ahousing structure 406, and a front cover assembly 408. The front coverassembly 408 may define a front exterior surface of the enclosure, andthe rear cover assembly 402 may define a rear exterior surface of thedevice. The housing structure 406 may be positioned between the frontcover assembly 408 and the rear cover assembly 402.

The housing structure 406 includes a middle housing component 410 aswell as housing components 420, 421, 422, and 423 (FIG. 4B). The middlehousing component 410, which may correspond to or be an embodiment ofthe housing component 314, includes a mid-chassis section 428, as wellas wall sections 417, 419. As described above with respect to thehousing component 314, the housing component 410 may be a unitarystructure formed from a single piece of material. For example, theunitary structure of the housing component 410 may be a metal, such asaluminum, steel, titanium, or the like and may be formed by extrusion,machining, and/or combinations of these and other forming processes.Thus, the wall sections 417 and 419 (which define side exterior surfacesof the device 400) and the mid-chassis section 428 may be differentportions of a single piece of material. In some cases the housingcomponent 410 is formed of a polymer material, reinforced polymermaterial (e.g., fiber reinforced), carbon fiber, or other suitablematerial.

The housing components 420, 421, 422, and 423 may each define anexterior corner surface of the device. In some cases, the housingcomponents also define a portion of one or more side exterior surfaces.For example, the housing component 420 defines an exterior cornersurface, and a portion of each of two side exterior surfaces (e.g., theside exterior surfaces on the right and top of the housing structure406, as oriented in FIG. 4B). Similarly, the housing component 421defines a portion of each of two side exterior surfaces (e.g., the sideexterior surfaces on the left and top of the housing structure 406, asoriented in FIG. 4B).

The housing structure 406 may define a first cavity along a first sideof the housing structure 406 (e.g., a front-facing side), and a secondcavity along a second side of the housing structure 406 (e.g., arear-facing side) opposite the first side. Components such as thecomponent set 404 (and optionally portions of the rear cover assembly402) may be positioned in the second cavity, a shown in FIG. 4A, andcomponents such as portions of the front cover assembly 408 may bepositioned in the first cavity.

The front cover assembly 408 may include a front cover, such as thefront cover 302 in FIG. 3 . The front cover assembly 408 may alsoinclude a display stack, and touch- and/or force-sensing systems,front-facing sensors such as ambient light sensors, proximity sensors,and the like.

The rear cover assembly 402 may include a rear cover, such as the rearcover 372 in FIG. 3 . The rear cover assembly 402 may include wirelesscharging components, such as a wireless charging coil and magneticcoupling and alignment elements. The rear cover assembly 402 may includeother components and/or structures as well. For example, the rear coverassembly 402 may also include a mounting structure including mountingtabs or other features, camera covers, optical structures, or the like.

The device 400 may include a component set 404 positioned at leastpartially in the interior cavity along a side of a mid-chassis section428 of the housing structure 406. The component set 404 includescomponents of the device 400. The component set 404 may include acircuit board assembly, a battery, a haptic actuator, speakers, antennasand/or other communication components and systems, cameras, microphones,and the like. Components in the component set 404 may be mechanicallyand/or conductively coupled to components on the rear cover assembly 402and the front cover assembly 408.

The housing structure 406 provides a mounting and/or support structurefor components of the device 400, such as the component set 404, therear cover assembly 402, and the front cover assembly 408. As describedabove with respect to FIG. 3 , the housing structure 406 may include amiddle housing component 410 (e.g., corresponding to the housingcomponent 314) that, together with additional housing components 420,421, 422, and 423 and joint structures 405 (FIG. 4A), defines peripheralexterior side walls of the device. The middle housing component 410 alsodefines a mid-chassis section 428 (e.g., corresponding to themid-chassis 323). In some cases, the mid-chassis section 428 (alsoreferred to simply as a chassis) is or includes a plate-like structurethat extends from one side wall to another side wall (e.g., from thewall section 417 to the wall section 419).

FIG. 4B is an exploded view of the housing structure 406, in which thejoint structures are omitted and the housing components are separatedfrom the middle housing component 410. As shown in FIG. 4B, the middlehousing component 410 and the side walls may be a single, unitarystructure. For example, the middle housing component 410 and the wallsections 417, 419 may be formed by extruding an initial structure (e.g.,forming an extruded metal material) that defines the general shape andconfiguration of the middle housing component 410 and the wall sections417, 419 (e.g., resembling an “H” shape in cross-section), and thenusing one or more additional machining or other forming processes todefine the final shapes and features of the middle housing component 410and wall sections 417, 419. The extrusion defining the initial structureof the middle housing component 410 may be formed from a metal materialsuch as aluminum, steel, stainless steel, titanium, or another suitablemetal. In some cases, the extrusion may be formed from a polymermaterial, such as a fiber-reinforced polymer. Machining operations maybe applied to the extrusion to form features such as holes, mountingbosses, recesses, protrusions, and the like. Holes that are formed(e.g., via machining or other operations) may accommodate circuit boardinterconnections, mechanical clips and retention features, buttons,switches, antennas, SIM card trays, and the like.

The housing structure 406 may be formed by structurally joining housingcomponents (e.g., the housing components 420, 421, 422, 423, which maycorrespond to or be embodiments of housing components 312, 313, 315, and316) to the middle housing component 410 and to adjacent housingcomponents via joint structures 405 (which may correspond to or beembodiments of joint structures 318). The joint structures 405 maycontact, cover, encapsulate, and/or engage with retention features ofthe housing components and/or the middle housing component 410. As notedabove, the wall sections 417, 419 (which may also be referred to as sidewalls) are part of the single unitary structure of the middle housingcomponent 410, and the joint structures 405 may also function tostructurally join the housing components 420, 421, 422, 423 to themiddle housing component 410. When coupled via the joint structures 405,the middle housing component 410, the housing components 420, 421, 422,423, and the joint structures 405 may define a main housing assemblythat defines the exterior side surfaces of the device 400.

The mid-chassis section 428 (also referred to simply as a chassis 428)may provide numerous advantages to the device 400. For example, thechassis 428 may act as a mounting structure for device components, suchas the battery, circuit board assembly, front and rear cover assemblies,and the like. In this way, fewer components need to be coupled to thefront and rear cover assemblies, thereby reducing the complexity ofthose modules and reducing the number of interconnections (e.g.,electrical connections) that need to be made between the various devicesubassemblies (e.g., between the front cover assembly, rear coverassembly, and other device assemblies).

The chassis 428 also serves a thermal management function for the device400. The chassis 428 may be formed of or include a thermally conductivematerial, and heat-producing and/or heat-sensitive components may bethermally coupled to the chassis 428 to help draw heat away from thosecomponents or otherwise distribute heat within the device in anadvantageous manner. For example, the chassis 428 may be formed from ametal such as aluminum, steel, titanium, metal alloys, or the like. Heatproducing and/or heat sensitive components may be thermally coupled tothe chassis 428 via thermal couplings, such as graphite films or layers,graphite-wrapped compliant members, thermal paste, or the like. Thethermal couplings may have sizes and may be positioned at locations onthe chassis 428 that allow the chassis 428 to draw heat away from theheat-producing and/or heat-sensitive components. For example, a circuitboard assembly may be thermally (as well as structurally) coupled to thechassis 428 via graphite thermal couplings. Heat from the circuit boardassembly (e.g., from a processor of the circuit board assembly) may betransferred to the chassis 428 through the thermal coupling, therebyhelping remove heat from the circuit board assembly and reducing thetemperature or other thermal impact on the circuit board assembly. Theheat may also spread along the chassis 428, resulting in decreased peaktemperatures in the device.

Further, the size and location of the thermal couplings on the chassis428 may be configured to help reduce the amount of heat (e.g., thetemperature) reaching user-contacting surfaces or structures of thedevice 400. For example, by positioning the thermal couplings proximatea center or mid-line of the chassis 428 (e.g., away from the wallsections 417, 419), heat may be directed or concentrated away from thewall sections 417 and 419, which a user may contact when holding thedevice 400. By contrast, without the thermal couplings, heat from devicecomponents, such as from a processor positioned near one of the sidewalls, may result in a high peak temperature along that side wall, whichmay make the device uncomfortable to hold. Other device components maybe thermally coupled to the chassis 428 as well, including but notlimited to a battery, a wireless charging coil, battery chargingcircuitry, and a display. Device components may be thermally coupled toeither side of the chassis 428. In some cases, the chassis 428 isthermally coupled to device components along both sides of the chassis428 (e.g., along the side facing the front cover assembly and along theopposite side facing the rear cover assembly.

The thermal function of the chassis 428 may improve the operation of thedevice 400 in several ways. For example, higher processor and batterycharge/discharge speeds may be achieved, as they can be operated athigher temperatures without resulting in the device becoming too hot tohold. As another example, the device may remain cooler during operation(e.g., having a lower peak temperature and/or a lower averagetemperature), rendering the device more comfortable to use andpotentially reducing stresses due to thermal cycling.

Device components on one side of the chassis 428 may need access to theother side of the chassis 428. Accordingly, the chassis 428 may includeholes extending therethrough to facilitate interconnections and othertypes of access through the chassis 428. For example, the front coverassembly 408 may include components such as a display stack andforward-facing sensors (e.g., a proximity sensor, ambient light sensor)that connect (e.g., via flexible circuit boards or other conductivecouplings) to components in the component set 404. Similarly, thecomponent set 404 may include devices that require access to the frontcover assembly 408 (and/or the exterior of the device via the front ofthe device), such as a forward-facing camera, facial recognition system,and speaker. Accordingly, the chassis 428 may include or define holes,such as holes 412, 414, and 415, to allow access through the chassis428. For example, components of a front-facing sensor region (e.g.,front-facing camera, facial recognition system) that are structurallycoupled to the device along one side of the chassis 428 (e.g., thebottom side, which is shown facing up in FIG. 4A) may access the frontcover assembly 408 through the hole 414, while electrical connectors 418and 416 on the front cover assembly 408 (for sensors and a display,respectively) may access components on the other side of the chassis 428via holes 415 and 412, respectively. In some cases, the number and sizeof holes in the chassis 428 is minimized in order to maximize thestructural and thermal functions of the chassis 428.

The chassis 428 may also include or define holes 426 (426-1, . . . ,426-3). The holes 426 may facilitate mechanical and/or conductivecouplings between the front cover assembly 408 and the housing structure406, between the rear cover assembly 402 and the housing structure 406,and/or between the front cover assembly 408 and the rear cover assembly402. For example, the holes 426 may define pass-throughs to allowboard-to-board connectors, flexible circuit elements, cables, and thelike, to conductively couple components on opposite sides of the chassis428. As another example, spring coupling elements may be coupled to thehousing structure 406 and may be positioned in the holes 426 (such asthe spring coupling element 618, FIG. 6B), and tabs or other features onthe front cover assembly 408 and/or the rear cover assembly 402 (e.g.,on a metal frame of the front cover assembly) may be structurally andconductively coupled to the spring coupling elements.

As noted above, the chassis 428 may define an array of mounting bosses427 (427-1, . . . , 427-4) integrally formed with a plate structure ofthe chassis 428. The mounting bosses 427 may be machined from the samecomponent as the chassis 428 and the wall sections 417, 419 (e.g., anextruded initial structure), such that they are integrally formed withthe plate structure of the chassis 428. The mounting bosses may beconfigured to engage fasteners, such as threaded fasteners (e.g.,screws, bolts, etc.) that are used to secure components to the chassis428. For example, a circuit board assembly (e.g., the circuit boardassembly 320, FIG. 3 ) may be coupled to all or some of the array ofmounting bosses 427 via a set of threaded fasteners. While FIGS. 4A-4Billustrate one example arrangement of mounting bosses, this is merelyone example arrangement, and more or fewer mounting bosses may beprovided in a given implementation. The locations of the mounting bossesmay also differ from those shown depending on the positioning of thecomponents that are to be attached to the chassis 428 via the mountingbosses.

FIG. 4C is a partial cross-sectional view of the device 400, viewedalong line 4C-4C in FIG. 4B, illustrating an example arrangement ofcomponents in the device 400 proximate a hole 412 extending through thechassis 428. As shown in FIG. 4C, a front cover assembly 408 may bepositioned along one side (e.g., above) the chassis 428, and a rearcover assembly 402 may be positioned along the opposite side of thechassis 428, along with a component 432 of the component set.

The front cover assembly 408, which includes a display 431 along abottom of a transparent cover 430, may be positioned above the chassis428 (and optionally set apart from the chassis 428 by a gap 434), andmay span or be positioned over a hole 412 in the chassis 428. Under somecircumstances, the display 431 may contact the chassis 428, such as dueto touch inputs being applied to the cover 430, drop events, or otheruse or misuse of the device 400. In such cases, holes in the chassis 428may produce local areas of high stress or pressure where the display isforced against the edges of the hole. These local stress areas mayproduce temporary or permanent artifacts on the display 431, such aslocal bright spots, which may damage the display and/or produce a pooruser experience. Accordingly, shims, such as the shim 435, may beprovided in the holes to form a structural stack 437 that reduces oreliminates the stresses at the edges of the hole 412. For example, FIG.4C illustrates an example in which a flexible circuit element 436 passesthrough the hole 412 to connect to a component 432 on the opposite sideof the chassis 428. The flexible circuit element 436 may form aloop-like shape, and a shim 435 may be positioned in the loop (e.g.,between two portions of the looped flexible circuit element 436). Theshim 435 may be configured to have a thickness and/other dimension orphysical property that results in a structural stack 437 extending fromthe component 432 (or other structure below the chassis 428) to the topsurface (or display-facing side) of the chassis 428. For example, a topsurface of the structural stack 437 may be substantially even (e.g.,coplanar) with the top surface of the chassis 428. Thus, in cases wherethe cover 430 and display 431 are deflected into or otherwise forcedagainst the chassis 428 and the structural stack 437, the display is notforced into the hole 412 or against the edges of the hole 412, as thestructural stack 437 effectively provides a structural support at thesame height and/or plane as the chassis 428. Similar structural stacks437 may be provided in or proximate other holes in the chassis 428 thatare below the display 431. In such cases, the size, arrangement, number,positioning, materials, and other properties of the shims (and/or othercomponents) that define the structural stack may be configured so thatthe top of those structural stacks are also substantially even (e.g.,coplanar) with the top surface of the chassis 428. In some cases, theshims may be formed of or include polymer material, and may be attachedto other shims or components via adhesive, mechanical fasteners, or thelike. In some cases, the shims may be formed from metal or anothersuitable material.

FIGS. 5A-5B illustrate an example circuit board assembly 500. Thecircuit board assembly 500 may correspond to or be an embodiment of thecircuit board assembly 320, or other circuit board assemblies describedherein. The circuit board assembly 500 may include a first substrate 502(e.g., circuit board), a second substrate 504 (e.g., a circuit board),and a wall structure 506. An internal cavity may be defined between thefirst substrate 502, second substrate 504, and wall structure 506, andcomponents such as processors and other electronic components may bepositioned in the internal cavity (e.g., coupled to one or both of thefirst substrate 502 and the second substrate 504).

In some cases, processors and other electronic components may also becoupled to the external surfaces of one or both of the first and secondsubstrates 502, 504. Cowlings (e.g., cowlings 508-1, 508-2, and 508-3 inFIG. 5A and cowling 514 in FIG. 5B) may be positioned over externalcomponents to protect, shield, and/or otherwise enclose the exteriorcomponents. The cowlings 508, 514 may be formed from or include metal(e.g., an aluminum alloy, such as 7075 aluminum alloy or 7475 aluminumalloy), or another suitable material. Other example materials include5000 series aluminum alloys, 6000 series aluminum alloys, and other 7000series aluminum alloys.

The electrical components of the circuit board assembly 500, such asprocessors, may generate heat. The heat generated may cause the deviceto become hot. Accordingly, the circuit board assembly 500 may includestructures to help remove and/or dissipate heat from the electricalcomponents, while also directing or drawing the heat away fromuser-contacting surfaces of the device that may become too hot tocomfortably touch, such as the side walls of the device (e.g., the wallsections 417, 419, FIGS. 4A-4B). For example, as noted above, thecowlings 508, 514 may be formed from metal (e.g., aluminum) or anotherthermally conductive material, and may be thermally conductive to aid inextracting, dissipating, and/or otherwise removing heat from theunderlying electrical components. In some cases, the cowlings 508, 514contact an underlying electrical component. In some cases, a thermallyconductive material, such as a thermally conductive paste or glue, maybe positioned between and in contact with the electrical components andthe cowlings.

Thermally conductive layers 512 and 516 may be positioned on one or moresurfaces of the cowlings 508, 514, respectively. The thermallyconductive layers 512, 516 may be formed from or include graphite, metalfoils or films, or the like. The thermally conductive layers 512, 516may be coupled to the cowlings 508, 514 via adhesives, direct bonding,mechanical fasteners, or the like. In some cases, the thermallyconductive layers 512, 516 may be formed via a material depositionprocess, such as chemical vapor deposition, plasma vapor deposition, orthe like.

The thermally conductive layers 512, 516 may be configured to spreadand/or distribute heat from the cowlings. For example, a processorpositioned under a cowling may result in uneven heating of the cowling(e.g., the area of the cowling directly above and/or in contact with theprocessor may become hotter than surrounding areas). The thermallyconductive layers 512, 516 may distribute the heat of the cowlings moreevenly over the full area of the thermally conductive layers 512, 516.This may help dissipate the heat from the cowling, and may also lowerpeak temperatures along the thermally conductive layers 512, 516. Moreparticularly, the high thermal conductivity of the thermally conductivelayers 512, 516 may help produce a more even surface temperature alongthe surfaces of the thermally conductive layers 512, 516, as compared toa cowling without a thermally conductive layer.

The thermally conductive layers 512, 516 may each cover or be coupled toone or more cowlings. For example, the thermally conductive layer 512 inFIG. 5A extends over three separate cowlings, 508-1, 508-2, and 508-3.Accordingly, the thermally conductive layer 512 can extract anddistribute heat from multiple different cowlings.

The circuit board assembly 500 may also include thermal bridges 510-1,510-2 (FIG. 5A) and 518 (FIG. 5B) that contact the thermally conductivelayers 512, 516 and contact another structure of the device to conductheat from the cowlings and thermally conductive layers to the otherstructures. For example, the thermal bridges 510-1, 510-2 may bepositioned on the side of the circuit board assembly 500 that faces themid-chassis section of a housing component (e.g., the mid-chassissection 323 in FIG. 3 , the mid-chassis section 428 in FIGS. 4A-4B). Insuch case, the thermal bridges 510-1, 510-2 may contact the mid-chassissection 428, thereby forming a thermal path from the cowlings to themid-chassis section 428. As described herein, the mid-chassis sectionmay be formed from a metal material, and may define a plate-likestructure through a central region of the phone. The mid-chassis mayhave a surface area (e.g., along one if its sides) that is greater thanabout 50% of the front or back surface area of the phone, greater thanabout 60% of the front or back surface area of the phone, greater thanabout 70% of the front or back surface area of the phone, or greaterthan about 80% of the front or back surface area of the phone.Accordingly, the mid-chassis has a significant size and thus asignificant thermal mass, and can absorb, distribute, and/or dissipateheat from the thermal bridges 510-1, 510-2. Further, as noted herein,the thermal bridges may be generally located towards the interior of thedevice (e.g., the midline), and away from exterior peripheral walls orsurfaces of the device. For example, a center of the thermal bridge510-2 is positioned offset from the midline of the segment of thecircuit board assembly 500 on which it is positioned (e.g., further tothe right as oriented in FIG. 5A). As described herein, this arrangementtends to dissipate heat from the circuit board assembly 500 further awayfrom the exterior surfaces of the device.

The thermal bridge 518, which is positioned on a side of the circuitboard assembly 500 that faces the rear cover assembly, may contact therear cover assembly. For example, the rear cover assembly may include aframe (e.g., the frame 604, FIG. 6A) that defines an interior surface ofthe rear cover assembly. The frame of the rear cover assembly may beformed from or include metal, such as aluminum, stainless steel, metalalloys, or the like. The thermal bridge 518 may contact and transferheat to the frame. The frame may help remove, dissipate, and/ordistribute the heat from the electrical component.

The thermal bridges 510-1, 510-2, 518 may be compliant in order toaccommodate various gaps between the circuit board assembly (e.g., thecoated cowlings of the circuit board assembly) and the mid-chassis andthe rear cover assembly. In some cases, the thermal bridges 510-1,510-2, 518 include a compliant structure, such as a foam, wrapped with athermally conductive layer, such as a graphite layer. The foam, or othersuitable compliant member or material, may provide compliance (e.g.,allowing the thermal bridges to deform between two structures) whilealso providing a return force that forces the thermal bridge intocontact with the structures. The thermally conductive layer may belooped around the compliant structure or otherwise make physical contactwith the structures that are to be thermally coupled (e.g., athermally-coated cowling and the mid-chassis section or the rear coverassembly).

The cowlings, thermally conductive layers, and thermal bridges 510-1,510-2, 518 cooperate to perform several thermal functions. For example,they act as a heat sink for the components of the circuit boardassembly, helping to maintain lower component temperatures, which canhelp improve efficiency, processing speed, component life, and the like.Additionally, the locations of the thermal bridges 510-1, 510-2, 518 areselected to position the heat transfer areas away from structures of thedevice that could become uncomfortably hot to the touch. For example, inorder to mitigate the effect of heat on the side walls of the device,which may be formed of metal and may render the device uncomfortable touse if they become too hot, the thermal bridges may be positionedproximate to a midline of the chassis section, or otherwise offsetinward from the walls of the device (e.g., from the wall section 419).In this way, heat from the circuit board assembly 500 may be generallyguided towards structures in the center of the device, helping reducethe temperatures at the side walls or other external structures of thedevice (especially those that may be good thermal conductors).

FIG. 5C illustrates a plan view of a back of the device 400,illustrating the circuit board assembly and the thermal bridges 510-1,510-2, 518. As shown, the thermal bridges 510-1, 510-2, 518 are biasedtowards the midline 501 of the device. Stated another way, the thermalbridges 510-1, 510-2, 518 are positioned, on their respective cowlings,closer to the midline 501 of the device than the side walls (e.g., theside wall 419). In this way, heat generated by components under thecowlings may be predominantly directed to the middle or center of thedevice, rather than the outer periphery.

The mid-chassis section of a housing component may define variousfeatures to accommodate device components in a space-efficient manner.For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the chassis 428 may includerecesses 425-1, 425-2 formed along a side of the chassis 428 in abattery mounting region, and adhesive for adhering the battery 440 tothe chassis 428 may be received in the recesses 425-1, 425-2. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 4A adhesive films 438, 439, (e.g.,pressure-sensitive adhesive films), may be positioned on the battery 440such that when the battery 440 is positioned on the chassis 428, theadhesive films 438, 439 are positioned in the recesses 425-1, 425-2,respectively. The adhesive films 438, 439 may be strips of adhesivepositioned on a bonding side of the battery 440. The battery 440 mayextend a first distance along a length axis of the device (e.g., thevertical axis, as oriented in FIG. 4B) and a second distance along awidth axis of the device (e.g., the horizontal axis as oriented in FIG.4B), and the adhesive films or strips may extend along the length axis(e.g., substantially the entire length of the battery, such as greaterthan about 80% of the length axis, greater than about 90% of the lengthaxis, or greater than about 95% of the length axis).

The adhesive films 438, 439 may be positioned on the battery 440 toaccommodate graphical or other features on the surface of the battery aswell. For example, a first strip of adhesive film 438 may be positionedalong a first edge of the bonding side of the battery 440, and a secondstrip of adhesive film 439 may be positioned along a second edge of thebonding side of the battery 440. A middle portion of the bonding side ofthe battery between the first and second strips may be free of adhesive.Graphical markings, such as bar codes, QR codes, numerical codes, serialnumbers, batch numbers, manufacturing information, images, or othergraphical markings may be positioned on the bonding side of the battery440 between the strips of adhesive. In this way, the graphicalmarking(s) may be un-occluded by the adhesive films.

The adhesive films 438, 439 may together cover a substantial amount ofthe surface area of the bonding side of the battery 440 (e.g., the sideof the battery 440 that faces the chassis 428). For example, in somecases, the adhesive films 438, 439 together cover greater than about 60%of the surface area of the bonding side, greater than about 70% of thebonding side, or greater than about 80% of the bonding side.

The recesses in the chassis 428 help reduce the thickness of the deviceby accommodating the adhesive therein so the battery can be positionedmore closely to the surface of the chassis 428 in the battery mounting.FIG. 5D is a partial cross-sectional view of the device 400, viewedalong line 5D-5D in FIG. 4B. As shown, the adhesive films 438, 439 arepositioned in the recesses 425-1, 425-2. In some cases, the thickness ofthe adhesive films 438, 439 is substantially equal to the depth of therecesses 425-1, 425-2. Accordingly, the mounting surface of the batterymay contact the chassis 428. In some cases, the thickness of theadhesive films 438, 439 may be between about 5 microns and about 30microns greater than the depths of the recesses. This may help ensurethat the adhesive films 438, 439 make positive contact with the battery440 and the chassis 428, and can account for manufacturing, assembly, orother tolerances in the battery 440, chassis 428, adhesive films 438,439, or the like. The depth of the recesses 425-1, 425-2 may be betweenabout 50 microns and about 100 microns, or between about 50 microns andabout 250 microns. In some cases, the depth of the recesses 425-1, 425-2may be between about 100 microns and about 500 microns. Other depths arealso contemplated, and may be selected based on the particular thicknessof the adhesive films 438, 439 (e.g., such that the depths are greaterthan or equal to the thickness of the films).

The chassis 428 may include or define other features that physicallyaccommodate device components to help reduce overall size and/orthickness of the device. FIG. 5E is a partial cross-sectional view ofthe device 400 viewed along line 5E-5E in FIG. 4B, illustrating aportion of the chassis 428 that is configured to structurallyaccommodate a portion of a battery and a portion of a display component.In particular, the chassis 428 defines a first portion 522 defining afirst protrusion 527 along a first side of the chassis 428 (e.g., alongthe bottom side, as depicted in FIG. 5E) and defining a first recess 528along a second side of the chassis 428 opposite the first side (e.g.,along the top side, as depicted in FIG. 5E). The chassis 428 furtherdefines a second portion 523 defining a second protrusion 529 along thesecond side of the chassis 428 and a second recess 530 along the firstside of the chassis 428. The first and second protrusions and first andsecond recesses may be defined by a single, continuous piece of thechassis 428, which may have a substantially continuous thickness. A jog,bend, or deflection in the chassis 428 may define the protrusions andrecesses as shown in FIG. 5E. In some cases, the first and secondportions 522, 523 of the chassis 428 are formed by machining the middlehousing component.

The recesses and protrusions defined by the first and second portions522, 523 may accommodate irregular shaped (e.g., non-planar) componentsor assemblies. The recesses and protrusions may allow for efficientnesting of components to reduce the overall thickness of the device. Forexample, the battery 440, which is positioned on a first side of thechassis 428, may include a battery cell portion 525 that includes abattery cell and has a first thickness, and a battery circuit portion524 that includes a battery circuit component (e.g., a batterymanagement unit) and has a second thickness that is less than the firstthickness. The thinner portion of the battery may define a recess alongat least one side of the battery.

A display assembly 526, which is positioned on a second side of thechassis 428 opposite the first side, may include an irregular,non-planar chassis-facing surface. For example, a circuit element 521may be positioned along a chassis-facing surface of the display assembly526 (e.g., on a circuit substrate 520, such as a flexible circuitelement, that is looped back along and coupled to the chassis-facingsurface). The configuration of protrusions and recesses of the chassis428 may be configured to accommodate these irregularly shaped and/ornon-planar components. For example, a first portion of the battery 440(e.g., the battery cell portion 525) may extend into the first recess528 defined by the first portion 522 of the chassis 428, and a secondportion of the battery 440 (e.g., the battery circuit portion 524) maybe positioned over the second protrusion 529 defined by the secondportion 523. A first portion of the display assembly 526 may bepositioned opposite the first protrusion 527 (and an air gap may bedefined between the first portion of the display and the firstprotrusion 527 of the chassis 428), while a second portion of thedisplay assembly 526 (e.g., the circuit element 521) may extend into thesecond recess 530. Further, the second protrusion 529 may extend intothe recess defined by the thinner, battery circuit portion 524. Thearrangement of recesses and protrusions formed by the jog in the chassis428 allows the display assembly 526 and the battery 440 to be positionedcloser to one another, as compared to a planar or flat chassis, whilestill maintaining suitable distances between the chassis and thecomponents.

FIG. 5F illustrates an example device 550 that includes an impactbarrier structure 553 that extends around a periphery of a battery 551.The device 550 may correspond to or be an embodiment of the device 400,and the battery 551 may correspond to or be an embodiment of the battery440. The impact barrier structure 553 is configured to protect the sidesof the battery from impacting or contacting other components orstructures within the device 550. Such contact or impacts may damage thebattery or the components of the device. For example, in some cases,components that are adjacent the sides of the battery 551 may beirregular, sharp, have prominent edges or features, and may includecomponents such as screws, bolts, fasteners, or the like, which mayproduce high stresses on the battery 551 in the case of contact orimpact. Accordingly, the impact barrier structure 553 may provide a lessirregular surface around the periphery of the battery 551 to reducestresses from the surrounding components, as well as absorb some or allof the impact force and prevent or inhibit contact between the batteryand neighboring components.

The impact barrier structure 553 may include one or more barriermembers. For example, the impact barrier structure 553 may include afirst barrier member 552-1 positioned between the battery and a wall 557of the housing component, and a second barrier member 552-2 positionedbetween the battery 551 and a circuit board assembly 555 (e.g.,corresponding to or an embodiment of the circuit board assembly 500). Insome cases, the impact barrier structure 553 may include a third barriermember 552-3 positioned between the battery 551 and a camera module 556,and a fourth barrier member 552-4 positioned between the battery 551 andanother component 554 within the device. The impact barrier structure553 may include more, fewer, or a different arrangement of barriermembers 552, and may be configured so that one barrier member ispositioned along each peripheral side of the battery 551. The barriermembers 552 may be substantially planar on at least the side facing thebattery, and optionally along the opposite side as well.

The barrier members 552 may be formed from a nonconductive polymermaterial, such as a polyethylene, polycarbonate, or the like. In somecases, the barrier members 552 also form an electrical isolation barrierbetween the battery 551 and other components of the device. In somecases, the barrier members 552 may be formed from metal, carbon fiber,or another suitable material.

The barrier members 552 may be secured within the device in variousways. For example, the barrier members 552 may be adhered to componentsor structures within the system. For example, the first barrier member552-1 may be adhered to the first wall, the second barrier member 552-2may be adhered to the circuit board assembly 555, the third barriermember 552-3 may be adhered to the camera module 556, and the fourthbarrier member 552-4 may be adhered to the other component 554 of thedevice.

In some cases, the barrier members may be secured to a chassis 558 ofthe device (e.g., corresponding to or an embodiment of the chassis 428).For example, the chassis 558 may be a metal chassis, and at least one ofthe barrier members 552 (and optionally all of the barrier members 552)may be coupled to the metal chassis, such as by welding, brazing,mechanical fasteners (e.g., screws, bolts, etc.), staking, or the like.

FIG. 6A illustrates a rear cover assembly 600. The rear cover assembly600 may correspond to or be an embodiment of the rear cover assemblies273, 373, 408, or other rear cover assemblies described herein. Asdescribed herein, the cover assembly 600 may be coupled to a housing orhousing structure (e.g., the housing structure 310, 406, or otherhousing structures described herein).

The rear cover assembly 600 includes a rear cover 602 (e.g.,corresponding to or an embodiment of the rear covers 272, 372, or otherrear covers described herein), and a frame 604 coupled to the rear cover602. The frame 604 may be formed from metal, and may include mountingand/or retention features that engage with complementary features and/ormechanisms of a housing or housing structure (e.g., the housingstructure 406, FIG. 4A). For example, the rear cover assembly 600includes tabs 610 and 614, and fastening features 612. The tabs 610 mayengage complementary retention features of a housing structure to retainthe rear cover assembly 600 to the housing structure. For example, therear cover assembly 600 may be positioned at an angle to the hosingstructure to allow protrusions of the housing structure to extend intoopenings in the tabs 610. The rear cover assembly 600 may then bepivoted towards the housing structure (e.g., while maintainingengagement between the protrusions and the tabs 610) so the rear coverassembly 600 can be secured to the housing structure. When the rearcover assembly 600 is in position relative to the housing structure, thefastening features 612 may align with corresponding fastening featuresof a front cover assembly, and may be fastened via screws, bolts, orother fasteners that extend through holes in the fastening features 612(and optionally the fastening features of the front cover assembly aswell). The fasteners may extend into and/or be anchored to a hole (e.g.,a threaded hole) in a housing structure.

The frame 604 may include or define a plate-like structure that extendsover the interior surface of the rear cover 602 (e.g., oversubstantially all of the rear cover 602, as shown), and defines aninterior surface of the rear cover assembly 600. In some cases, a layer605, such as a graphite film, polymer film, ink, paint, cosmetic layer,or the like, may be positioned on the frame 604.

The rear cover assembly 600 also includes an array of tabs 614. The tabs614 may be part of the frame 604, or they may be attached to the frame604 (or another component of the rear cover assembly 600). For example,the frame 604 may be formed from or include a metal structure, and thetabs 614 may be unitary with the frame 604 (e.g., formed of the samemetal part as the frame 604). In other cases, the tabs 614 may be formedseparately from the frame 604 and attached to the frame via welding,adhesive, soldering, brazing, fasteners, or another suitable technique.The tabs 614 may be conductively coupled to the frame 604 or anothercomponent of the rear cover assembly 600, and may be used to define aconductive path between the rear cover assembly 600 and a housingstructure or other portion of a device, as described with respect toFIG. 6B.

FIG. 6B illustrates a portion of a device, generally corresponding toregion 6B-6B in FIG. 4B, showing how tabs of front and rear coverassemblies may be attached to a housing component 616 (which may be anembodiment of or otherwise correspond to a wall section 417 or 419). Forease of illustration, portions of the housing structure 406 are shown incross-section. As shown in FIG. 6B, a spring coupling element 618 may becoupled to a housing structure. For example, the spring coupling element618 may be coupled to a wall section of a housing structure, such as thewall sections 317, 319, 417, 419, or other wall sections (or otherhousing structures or components) described herein. The spring couplingelement 618 may be coupled via fasteners, welding, soldering, brazing,or the like.

The spring coupling element 618 may be conductively coupled to thehousing structure 616, and may be configured to both mechanically andelectrically couple to the tabs 622, 614 of front and rear coverassemblies, respectively. The spring coupling element 618 may includespring clips configured to mechanically and electrically couple to thetabs 614, 622 of the rear and front cover assemblies, respectively. Insome cases, the spring coupling element 618 includes multiple springclips that engage a single tab. For example, the spring coupling element618 may include spring clips 620, 626 that engage the tab 614 (of therear cover assembly), and spring clips 621, 628 that engage the tab 622(of the front cover assembly). In some cases, the spring clips may beconfigured to contact different portions of the tabs to optimize orotherwise facilitate different functions. For example, the spring clips620, 621 may be configured to mechanically retain the tabs 614, 622,while the spring clips 626, 628 may be configured to conductively coupleto the tabs 614, 622 to define a conductive coupling between the frontcover assembly, the rear cover assembly, and the housing component 616.The spring clips 620, 621 may define protrusions or other features thatengage with holes 631, 632 of the tabs 614, 622 (or lips, recesses, orother features) to provide mechanical retention between the tabs andspring clips.

While the spring clips 620, 621 may also conductively couple to the tabs614, 622, the interlocking or engaging features of the clips 620, 621and tabs 614, 622 may not provide a sufficiently reliable conductivecoupling. For example, movement of the tabs relative to the spring clipsmay cause a protrusion and a recess or hole to disengage or otherwiseproduce a suboptimal conductive connection. Accordingly, the springclips 626, 628 may engage a different portion of the tabs 614, 622, suchas conductive coupling regions 629, 630 of the tabs 614, 622, therebyproviding a reliable and consistent conductive coupling that canaccommodate slight movements and/or misalignments. The conductivecoupling regions 629, 630 may be next to the holes 631, 632. The dualclip system thus provides both reliable mechanical coupling and reliableconductive coupling between the cover assemblies and the housingstructure with the same tab. Moreover, providing clips for both thefront cover assembly and the rear cover assembly on a single structureprovides a low-resistance conductive path between the cover assembliesand the housing structure, while reducing overall part count and devicecomplexity.

Both the spring clips 626, 628 and the tabs 614, 622 may be formed frommetal or another conductive material. In some cases, the tabs and springclips are part of an electrical ground plane for the device. Forexample, the tabs 614, 622 may be conductively coupled to componentsand/or structures of the front and rear cover assemblies that are partof a designated electrical ground or reference plane. Additionally, thespring clips 626, 628 may be conductively coupled to components and/orstructures that are coupled to the housing structure 616 that are partof a designated electrical ground or reference plane. Thus, the springclips and tabs define a conductive path to define a single electricalground for the device.

FIG. 7A shows a portion of the device 400 (e.g., a portion of thehousing structure 406) where one or more camera modules may bepositioned in the device. As described herein, the housing structure 406may define a mid-chassis section 428, which may define a rear-facingsurface (shown in FIG. 7A) and a front-facing surface opposite the rearfacing surface. Rear-facing cameras 750, 751 (shown in FIG. 7B, whichmay correspond to or be embodiments of the cameras 361, 362 in FIG. 3 )may be positioned on and secured to the rear-facing surface of themid-chassis section 428, and may face away from the mid-chassis section428 (e.g., to capture images through the rear cover). In the exampleshown, the cameras are positioned proximate a corner of the device 400,such as the corner defined by the housing components 420, 421, and thewall section 417.

In order to reliably and securely position the cameras in position inthe device 400, the device 400 may include biasing spring structures702, 704 that engage with a camera bracket (e.g., the camera bracket720, FIG. 7B) to bias the camera bracket, and thus the camera modulescoupled to the camera bracket, towards a desired reference position(e.g., towards a corner of the housing structure 406). The biasingspring structures 702, 704 may include base structures 706, 710 thatextend from the chassis 428. The base structures 706, 710 may befastened to the chassis 428 (e.g., via screws, bolts, adhesives,mechanical interlocking features, or the like), or they may be unitarywith the chassis 428. In the latter case, they may be machined from thesame piece of material as the chassis 428 (e.g., they may be machinedfeatures of the chassis 428). The biasing spring structures 702, 704 mayalso include spring members 708, 712 coupled to the base structures 706,710. The spring members may provide the biasing force that biases thecamera bracket 720 towards the target position.

FIG. 7B shows the device 400 with the camera bracket 720 in position inthe housing structure 406. The camera bracket 720 may define holes 722,724 into which the biasing spring structures 702, 704 may extend inorder to engage the camera bracket 720 and bias the camera bracket 720towards or into the desired reference position. The holes 722, 724 maydefine interior surfaces 730, 732 that engage or are contacted by thespring members 708, 712. The spring members 708, 712 contact theinterior surfaces 730, 732 and push the camera bracket 720 along thebiasing directions 726, 728. Thus, in this example, the spring members708, 712 bias the camera bracket 720 towards the top of the device(e.g., towards housing component 420) and towards the side of the device(e.g., towards wall section 417). Together, the spring members 708, 712may bias the camera bracket 720 towards the corner of the device 400.

FIG. 8 illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a device through apair of cameras, such as rear facing cameras 261, 262, 263 in FIG. 2 ,cameras 361, 362 in FIG. 3 , or other cameras described herein (and inparticular cameras that are next to one another). Cameras 802, 804 maybe positioned in camera enclosures 800, 801, respectively. The cameraenclosures 800, 801 may include first enclosure components 806, 808, andsecond enclosure components 810, 812. The second enclosure components810, 812 may be coupled to the first enclosure components 806, 808 atseams 809, 811. The first enclosure components 806, 808 may each definea bottom of their respective camera enclosures 800, 801, and the secondenclosure components 810, 812 may each define a top of their respectivecamera enclosures 800, 801. The camera enclosures 802, 804 may becoupled to a camera bracket 814, which may define a flange 816 that ispositioned between the first camera and the second camera. The flange816 may have a top edge that is below the seams 809, 811. In some cases,a portion of at least one of the second enclosure components 810, 812extends at least partially over the top edge of the flange 816. Becausethe top edge of the flange 816 is below the seams 809, 811, the cameras802, 804 may be positioned closer to one another than may be possiblewith other flange configurations. More particularly, the cameraenclosures 800, 801, and more particularly the upper or second enclosurecomponents 810, 812 can be positioned nearer to one another (andoptionally overlapping the top of the flange 816) without having toprovide a clearance distance to the sides of the flange 816. Bycontrast, a taller flange 816 may result in the camera enclosures 800,801 being positioned further apart to provide sufficient clearancebetween the sides of the enclosures 800, 801 and the flange 816. Thus,the relative positioning of the flange 816 and the seams 809, 811 of thecamera enclosures (e.g., with the top edge of the flange 816 below theseams 809, 811) allows for greater packing efficiency and smalleroverall device sizes.

FIG. 9A is a partial cross-sectional view of the device 200, viewedalong line 9A-9A in FIG. 2 , showing aspects of a rear-facing sensorregion with a rear-facing camera. While FIG. 2 illustrates an explodedview, FIG. 9A represents the device 200 in an at least partiallyassembled state. It will be understood that the features described withrespect to the device 200 may apply equally to any other devices and/orrear-facing sensor regions described herein.

FIG. 9A illustrates the camera 262 and a depth sensing device 281 (whichmay represent other optical components as well, such as a secondcamera). The device 200 includes a frame member 921 that is coupled to arear cover 272 (and is part of a rear cover assembly) of the device 200.Components of a rear-facing sensor array, such as cameras of a cameraarray, camera brackets (e.g., a camera bracket 920), depth sensingdevices, microphones, strobes or flashes, or the like, may be attachedto the frame member 921.

The camera 262 may be conductively coupled to other components withinthe device 200. For example, a flexible circuit element 922 mayconductively couple the camera 262 to a circuit component 924, such as acircuit board assembly (e.g., the circuit board assembly 220, FIG. 2 ,or another suitable circuit component. In some cases, the flexiblecircuit element 922 may conductively couple to the circuit component 924via a connector system 925 (e.g., a zero insertion-force connector orother board-to-board connector system). Due to the generally planarorientation of the path of the flexible circuit element 922 between thecamera 262 and the circuit component 924, slight deviations in thepositioning of the camera 262 and the circuit component 924 may cause aflexible circuit element to bind, bend, or otherwise not properly alignwith the connector on the circuit component 924. Additionally, in orderto reach the circuit component 924, a flexible circuit element mayextend over another component or system, such as the depth sensingdevice 281. Accordingly, the flexible circuit component 922 defines arelief section 926 that provides a degree of compliance to the flexiblecircuit component 922 to accommodate position tolerances of the systemcomponents without imparting undue stresses to the flexible circuitcomponent 922, the connector system 925, the camera 262, or othercomponents. The relief section 926 may take the form of one or morecurved or bent portions of the flexible circuit component 922 that canfurther bend or flex to allow lateral movement (e.g., left to right asshown in FIG. 9A) of the flexible circuit component 922 without causingbuckling or binding of the flexible circuit component 922 or otherwiseimparting undue stresses to the flexible circuit component 922, theconnector system 925, the camera 262, or other components.

In some cases, the relief section 926 may be positioned between ahard-stack region and the connector system 925. For example, where theflexible circuit component 922 passes over the depth sensing device 281(or other component of the device 200, such as a rear-facing camera),the flexible circuit component 922 may be captured between components ofa stack of components, such as between a spacer 927 (e.g., a foam, shim,shroud, cowling, or other structure, material, or component positionedover the depth sensing device 281) and a camera cowling 923. In somecases, positioning the flexible circuit component 922 in the stack overthe depth sensing device 281 helps retain the flexible circuit component922 in place and reduce stresses on the interface between the flexiblecircuit component 922 and the camera 262, while positioning the reliefsection 926 between the connector system 925 and the hard-stack regionprovides compliance to the flexible circuit component 922 to reducestresses on both the connector system 925 and the hard-stack region.

A cowling 923 may be positioned over the camera 262, the depth sensingdevice 281, and other components as well (e.g., the cameras 261, 263,FIG. 2 ). In some cases, the cowling 923 covers substantially all of arear-facing sensor array (e.g., the sensor array 260, FIG. 2 ). Thecowling 923 may be configured to physically protect the components ofthe sensor array, and may provide electrical shielding (e.g., shieldingagainst electromagnetic interference, radio-frequency signals, and thelike). The cowling 923 may be formed from metal, such as aluminum,steel, metal alloys, or the like. In some cases, the cowling 923 isformed from or includes a 7000 series aluminum alloy, such as a 7475series aluminum alloy.

The cowling 923 may have different thicknesses at different regions ofthe cowling 923, and may be formed with recesses, jogs, protrusions,and/or other shapes. For example, a first portion 930 of the cowling 923(e.g., a portion that is positioned over the depth sensing device 281and/or other cameras such as the cameras 261, 263) may have a firstthickness, and a second portion 931 of the cowling 923 (e.g., a portionthat is positioned over the camera 262) may have a second thickness thatis less than the first thickness. The second portion 931 may also bejogged upwards relative to the first portion 930, such as to providegreater clearance between the cowling 923 and the camera 262. In somecases, the camera 262 extends higher than the depth sensing device 281and/or other components under the cowling 923, and the additionalclearance under the jogged second portion 931 accommodates the largercamera 262 while maintaining suitable clearances. The first thicknessmay be between about 0.25 mm and about 0.35 mm, and the second thicknessmay be between about 0.18 and about 0.25 mm.

The second portion 931 may be made thinner than the first portion 930 bychemical etching or another material removal process (e.g., machining).In some cases, the second portion 931 may be made thinner by a formingprocess such as forging, stamping, molding, or the like.

The first portion 930 may define a recessed exterior surface, relativeto the exterior surface of the second portion 931. In some cases, athermally conductive material 911, such as a graphite material, maycontact or be positioned along the exterior surface of the first portion930. In some cases, the thermally conductive material 911 may be coupledto a structure that is positioned over the cowling 923 when the device200 is assembled. For example, the thermally conductive material 911 maybe positioned on a front cover assembly (e.g., the interior surface ofthe front cover assembly 201, FIG. 2 ), and may be positioned overand/or in contact with the exterior surface of the first portion 930when the front cover assembly is attached to the housing (e.g., thehousing 210). In some cases, the thermally conductive material 911 iscoupled (e.g., adhered) to the first portion 930 of the cowling and ispositioned proximate and/or in contact with the front cover assemblywhen the front cover assembly is attached to the housing. The thermallyconductive material 911 may conduct heat produced by the components ofthe rear-facing sensor array (e.g., the cameras of a camera array) awayfrom the cameras and towards another component or structure of thedevice. For example, the thermally conductive material 911 may help drawheat away from the rear-facing sensor array and into the front coverassembly, for example.

A portion of the camera 262, such as a portion of a lens assembly 960,may extend into and optionally through a hole 916 that extends throughthe rear cover 272. The lens assembly 960 may define a base portion 909that has a first outer diameter and an end portion 961 that has a secondouter diameter that is smaller than the first outer diameter. A portionof the camera 262 (e.g., an end portion 961 of the lens assembly 960)may extend past the rear exterior surface of the rear cover 272. Asdescribed herein, a trim assembly may surround and/or protect theportion of the camera 262 that extends past the rear exterior surface ofthe rear cover 272.

In some cases, a certain clearance distance may be required between thelens assembly 960 and adjacent components in the device 200, such as toprevent inadvertent contact between the lens assembly 960 and theadjacent components during assembly and/or use of the device.Accordingly, the hole 916 may define a multi-segment hole surface toaccommodate the lens assembly 960 while minimizing the size of theopening along the exterior surface of the rear cover 272. For example,the hole 916 may be defined by a hole surface having a tapered portion906 proximate the opening of the hole that is along the interior surfaceof the rear cover 272, and a cylindrical portion 905 proximate theopening of the hole that is along the exterior surface of the rear cover272. The tapered portion 906 may define a frusto-conical surface. Thetapered portion 906 provides clearance for the lens assembly 960proximate the wider base portion 909 of the lens assembly. The clearanceprovided by the tapered portion 906 facilitates various structural andpositioning advantages. For example, the exterior opening of the holecan be made smaller (as compared to a cylindrical or straight-walledhole) because the tapered portion 906 provides additional clearance neara wider portion of the lens assembly 960. Additionally or alternatively,the lens assembly 960 may be positioned further in the hole 916 withoutplacing the lens assembly 960 too close to the hole surface. In somecases, the edge of the interior opening defines a chamfered surface 907.

In some cases, the frame member 921 may define a tapered wall section908 that extends into the hole 916. The tapered wall section 908 maydefine a tapered shape that is substantially parallel to the taperedportion 906 of the hole surface. The matching taper of the tapered wallsection 908 and the tapered portion 906 of the hole 916 provide theadvantages of the tapered hole portion while also providing additionalprotection, light blocking, and other functionality of the tapered wallsection 908 in the hole. In some cases, as described herein, trimassemblies that extend around the lens assembly 960, protect the lensassembly 960, and hold a camera cover may be attached to the taperedwall section 908.

As noted above, a device may include trim assemblies for rear-facingcameras, such as the camera 262 (as well as cameras 261, 263 in FIG. 2 ,or other cameras described herein). FIG. 9A illustrates an example trimassembly 904, which may be an embodiment of the trim assemblies 269,FIG. 2 . Other cameras of a device may also include the same or asimilar trim assembly as that shown in FIG. 9A, or they may usedifferent trim assemblies. The trim assembly 904 may include an innertrim ring 912 extending around a lens portion of the camera 262 (e.g.,the lens assembly 960) and may define a first surface 962 facing thelens portion, and a second surface opposite the first surface 962 anddefining a first channel 918. The trim assembly 904 may further includean outer trim ring 910 extending around the inner trim ring 912 anddefining a third surface facing the second surface of the inner trimring and defining a second channel 917, and a fourth surface 963opposite the third surface and defining a peripheral exterior surface ofthe trim assembly 904. The first and second channels 917, 918 may definea hollow chamber 919 between the inner trim ring 912 and the outer trimring 910. The hollow chamber 919 may provide a weight savings over atrim assembly that does not include the channels 917, 918, and may alsolower material costs for the device. In some cases, the hollow chamber919 may be filled with a material, such as a polymer material, foam,adhesive, or the like.

The inner trim ring 912 may support a camera cover 267 or window throughwhich the camera receives light. The camera cover 267 may be adhered orotherwise attached to a mounting surface of the inner trim ring 912.

Sealing members may also be provided between the trim rings and/or thehole surface. For example, a first sealing member 915 may be positionedbetween and in contact with the outer trim ring 910 and the hole surface(e.g., the cylindrical portion 905 of the hole 916). A second sealingmember 914 may be positioned between and in contact with the inner trimring 912 and the outer trim ring 910. The sealing members may be formedfrom rubber, foam, or another deformable or compliant material thatintimately contacts the surfaces of the trim rings and/or the holesurface (or other surfaces). The sealing members may inhibit ingress ofliquid, water, dust, and/or other contaminants.

The trim rings 910, 912 may be formed from or include a metal material,such as aluminum, steel, zinc, titanium, metal alloys, or the like. Oneor both of the trim rings 910, 912 may alternatively be formed from apolymer material, a composite material, or another suitable material orcombination of materials. The trim rings 910, 912 may be formed from thesame material (e.g., aluminum), or they may be formed from differentmaterials (e.g., an aluminum trim ring and a polymer trim ring).

FIGS. 9B-9F illustrate additional example trim assemblies and otherfeatures of the rear camera regions. For simplicity, FIGS. 9B-9Fillustrate various trim assemblies, masks, frame structures, and thelike, coupled to the rear cover 272 and including the camera cover 913,though it will be understood that they may be used with other rearcovers and/or camera covers as well. FIG. 9B illustrates an example trimassembly that includes an inner trim ring 933 coupled to an outer trimring 932. A camera cover 913 may be coupled to the inner trim ring 933.The inner and outer trim rings 933, 932 may include flange portions 936,948, respectively, that extend into the hole 916 (FIG. 9A of the rearcover 272. The flange portions may correspond to the portions of thetrim rings that are within the hole and/or extend into the interior ofthe device, while external portions of the trim rings may correspond tothe portions that extend past the rear exterior surface of the cover272. The flange portions 936, 948 may be coupled to one another, and/orto the frame member 921. For example, the flange portions 936, 948 maybe welded, brazed, adhered, or otherwise coupled to one another and/orto the frame member 921. The flange portion 948 of the outer trim ring932 may define a recess or channel 964 in a surface that faces the innertrim ring 933, thereby defining a hollow chamber between the outer andinner trim rings 933, 932. The hollow chamber may provide weight andmaterial reductions as described above.

As shown in FIG. 9B, coatings 934 and 935 may be applied to surfaces ofthe rear cover 272. The coatings 934, 935 may be opaque and/orlight-blocking coatings to prevent or inhibit the visibility of theinternal components through the rear cover 272. The coatings 934, 935may be formed from or include ink, dyes, paint, or deposited coatings(e.g., coatings deposited using PVD processes, CVD Processes, or thelike). The coating 935 may be positioned along an interior surface ofthe rear cover 272, opposite the rear exterior surface of the rear cover272. The coating 934 may be positioned along the hole surface, includingalong the tapered portion of the hole surface and the cylindricalportion of the hole surface. The coatings 934, 935 may be formed from orinclude the same material, or different materials. In some cases, thecoatings 934, 935 may have a same or substantially the same color,providing a uniform appearance through the rear cover 272 (which may betransparent or translucent glass material, sapphire, glass ceramic,ceramic, or the like). In some cases, sealing members that contact thecoated hole surface (e.g., sealing member 915, FIG. 9A) may have a sameor substantially the same color as the coatings. In some cases, flangeportions of the trim rings (and in particular the flange portion of theouter trim rings) may have a same or substantially the same color as thecoatings.

In some cases, the external portions of the trim rings have a differentcolor than the flange portions. For example, the flange portion of theinner trim ring may have a first color (e.g., that matches thecoatings), while the external portion may have a different color. Thedifferent colored portions of the trim rings may be produced in variousways. For example, one or both portions of a trim ring may be painted,coated, plated, textured, anodized, etched, dyed, or the like, toproduce desired colors along the flange and external portions.

FIG. 9C illustrates an example trim assembly that includes an inner trimring 938 and an outer trim ring 937. The outer trim ring 937 defines afirst channel 965 in its flange portion and a second channel 968 in anexternal portion (e.g., the portion of the outer trim ring 937 thatextends beyond the rear exterior surface of the rear cover 272).Additionally, the inner trim ring 938 defines a third channel 966 in itsflange portion that is opposite the first channel 965 and, together withthe first channel 965, defines a first hollow chamber between the flangeportions. The second channel 968 defines a second hollow chamber betweenthe external portions of the trim rings. The hollow chambers may provideweight and material reductions as described above. Discussions of otheraspects of the trim rings (e.g., materials, attachment techniques,colors, etc.) described herein with respect to other trim rings mayapply equally to the trim rings 937, 938.

FIG. 9D illustrates an example trim assembly that includes an inner trimring 940 and an outer trim ring 939. The outer trim ring 939 defines achannel 969 in an external portion. The channel 969 defines a firsthollow chamber between the outer trim ring 939 and the inner trim ring940. Additionally, the outer trim ring 939 includes a partial flangeportion 970 that extends only partially into the hole (e.g., less thanabout 50% of the length of the hole, less than about 40% of the lengthof the hole, less than about 30% of the length of the hole). The partialflange portion 970 may define a second hollow chamber 941 between thehole surface and the flange portion of the inner trim ring 940. Thehollow chambers may provide weight and material reductions as describedabove. FIG. 9D also illustrates a shroud 942 that may be positioned onor along one or more surfaces of the rear cover 272. For example, theshroud 942 may extend along at least a portion of the interior surfaceof the rear cover 272 and may extend into the hole 916 along the holesurface. The shroud 942 may inhibit the visibility of the internalcomponents through the rear cover 272. The shroud 942 may also have acolor that matches or substantially matches the color of a coating(e.g., the coating 935) that is positioned on the interior surface ofthe rear cover 272, thereby providing a uniform appearance through therear cover 272. The shroud 942 may be used in addition to or instead ofa coating on the hole surface. In some cases, the shroud 942 may extendonly partially into the hole 916, such that a sealing member 971 doesnot contact the shroud (but rather is between and in contact with theouter trim ring 939 and the hole surface). In such cases, at least theportion of the hole surface that the shroud 942 does not overlap mayinclude a color-matched coating. Discussions of other aspects of thetrim rings (e.g., materials, attachment techniques, colors, etc.)described herein with respect to other trim rings may apply equally tothe trim rings 939, 940.

FIG. 9E illustrates an example trim assembly that includes an inner trimring 944 and an outer trim ring 943. The outer trim ring 943 defines achannel 945 in an external portion, the channel 945 defining a hollowchamber between the outer trim ring 943 and the inner trim ring 944.Additionally, the inner trim ring 944 lacks a flange portion, andinstead is coupled to a mounting surface 946 of the exterior portion ofthe outer trim ring 943. Thus, as shown, the inner trim ring 944 may notextend into the hole (e.g., the entirety or substantially the entiretyof the inner trim ring 944 may be outside of the hole). The inner trimring 944 may be coupled to the outer trim ring 943 in various ways. Forexample, an adhesive 947 may adhere the inner trim ring 944 to themounting surface 946. In other examples, instead or in addition to theadhesive, the inner trim ring 944 may be coupled via welding, brazing,mechanical interlocking features (e.g., threads), fasteners, or thelike. Discussions of other aspects of the trim rings (e.g., materials,attachment techniques, colors, etc.) described herein with respect toother trim rings may apply equally to the trim rings 943, 944.

FIG. 9F illustrates an example trim assembly that includes an inner trimring 952 and an outer trim ring 951. The outer trim ring 951 may includea structural component 954 and an exterior shell 953. The structuralcomponent 954 may define a flange portion and an external portion, andthe exterior shell 953 may be coupled to the external portion (or otherportion of the structural component 954), and may define an exteriorsurface of the outer trim ring 951 that is visible from the outside ofthe device. The structural component 954 and the exterior shell 953 maybe formed from different materials. For example, the structuralcomponent 954 may be formed from a polymer material, while the exteriorshell 953 may be formed from a metal material. In such cases, thestructural component 954 and the exterior shell 953 may be coupledtogether via an insert molding process. For example, the exterior shell953 may be positioned in a mold cavity, and a polymer material may beintroduced into the mold to engage the exterior shell 953 and form theshape of the structural component 954. In some cases, the exterior shell953 may be a coating, plating (e.g., a metallic plating), depositedcoating (e.g., a PVD or CVD coating), or the like. The structuralcomponent 954 and the exterior shell 953 may have different colors. Forexample, the structural component 954 may have a color that matches orsubstantially matches the color of a coating (e.g., the coatings 935,934) that is positioned on a surface of the rear cover 272, therebyproviding a uniform appearance through the rear cover 272. Discussionsof other aspects of the trim rings (e.g., materials, attachmenttechniques, colors, etc.) described herein with respect to other trimrings may apply equally to the trim rings 951, 952.

FIG. 9G illustrates a detail view of the trim assembly 904 of FIG. 9A,illustrating the inner trim ring 912 and the outer trim ring 910. Theouter trim ring 910 defines an interface surface 957 that is positionedon (in contact with) the rear exterior surface of the rear cover 272, asshown. The outer trim ring 910 further defines an exterior peripheralsurface 956 that has a first texture, and a chamfer surface 955 thatextends from the interface surface 957 to the exterior peripheralsurface 956 and has a second texture different from the first texture.In some cases, the first texture of the exterior peripheral surface 956has a lower surface roughness than the second texture. In some cases,the exterior peripheral surface 956 has a polished appearance, and thechamfer surface 955 has a textured or non-polished appearance. Thechamfer surface 955 may be subjected to a texturing process, such asblasting (e.g., bead blasting, sand blasting, etc.), machining,grinding, etching, or another suitable process to produce the targettexture. The exterior peripheral surface 956 may be subjected to apolishing process to produce the target texture for the exteriorperipheral surface 956. In some cases, the different textures, and inparticular the higher surface roughness of the chamfer surface 955relative to the exterior peripheral surface 956, may have the result ofreducing the appearance of the height of the outer trim ring 910 (e.g.,the distance that the outer trim ring 910 extends past the exteriorsurface of the rear cover 272).

The chamfer surface 955 may define an angle 958 with respect to theexterior peripheral surface 956. The angle 958 may be less than 45degrees. In such cases, the chamfer region defined by the chamfersurface 955 may have a greater height (e.g., along the verticaldimension shown in FIG. 9G) than width (e.g., along the horizontaldimension shown in FIG. 9G). Stated another way, the angle 958 mayproduce a chamfer region that is taller than it is deep. In some cases,the height of the chamfer region may be between about 0.25 mm and about0.40 mm, and the width of the chamfer region may be between about 0.10mm and about 0.20 mm.

FIG. 9H illustrates a portion of a device 980, which may be anembodiment of the device 200 in FIG. 2 , showing a portion of arear-facing sensor array. The view shown in FIG. 9H may correspond to aview of the device with the front cover assembly removed. The device 980includes a wall structure 986 and a camera bracket 985 positioned in thewall structure 986.

The wall structure 986 may at least partially surround the camerabracket 985. For example, the wall structure 986 may define a first wallsegment 982 extending along a first side of the camera bracket 985 andpositioned between the camera bracket 985 and a top side wall 981 of thehousing component. The wall structure 986 may further define a secondwall segment 984 extending along a second side of the camera bracket 985and positioned between the camera bracket 985 and a lateral side wall991 of the housing component. The wall structure 986 may further definea third wall segment 988 extending along a third side of the camerabracket opposite the first side and positioned between the camerabracket and a battery 987. The wall structure 986 may further define afourth wall segment 989 extending along a fourth side of the camerabracket 958 opposite the second side and positioned between the camerabracket and another internal component or structure (e.g., a speakermodule).

First and second biasing springs 983, 990 may be positioned along afirst and a second side of the camera bracket 985, respectively. Thefirst and second biasing springs 983, 990 may be coupled to the wallsegments of the wall structure 986 and positioned between the wallsegments and the camera bracket 985, such that they impart biasingforces between the wall segments and the camera bracket 985. Forexample, the first biasing spring 983 biases the camera bracket towardsa battery 987 along a first direction (e.g., downwards, away from thetop side wall 981 of the device), and the second biasing spring 990biases the camera bracket 985 towards the lateral side wall 991 of thedevice. In some cases, the second biasing spring 990 may bias the camerabracket 985 in the opposite direction (e.g., it may be positionedbetween the second wall segment 991 and the camera bracket 985). Thesecond biasing spring 990 may bias the camera bracket 985 in a directionthat is transverse to the first direction.

As noted above, a device may include a front-facing sensor regionpositioned along a front of a device. FIG. 10A illustrates an exampledevice 1000 with such a configuration. The device 1000 may correspond toor be an embodiment of the electronic devices 100, 200, or any otherdevice described herein.

The device 1000 includes a front-facing sensor region 1002, which maycorrespond to or be an embodiment of the front-facing sensor region 111described with respect to FIG. 1A. The front-facing sensor region 1002may appear as a pill-shaped region along the display 1009 of the device.The front-facing sensor region 1002 may appear as an inactive area ofthe display 1009, and may be completely surrounded by active areas ofthe display.

As described herein, the front-facing sensor region 1002 may provideboth input and output functionality for the device 1000. For example,the front-facing sensor region 1002 may include sensors such as a facialrecognition system and a front-facing camera. Additionally, as describedherein, the front-facing sensor region 1002 may include a supplementaldisplay region 1012 that appears to be part of the graphically inactivearea of the display, but in fact can be used to provide graphicaloutputs to a user. For example, as described herein, the supplementaldisplay region 1012 may be used to selectively produce graphical outputs(such that a graphical output is displayed within the front-facingsensor region 1002). When not producing graphical outputs, thesupplemental display region 1012 in the front-facing sensor region 1002may appear the same as or similar to an inactive region (e.g., a portionof the cover that does not have an underlying display).

The front-facing sensor region 1002 may be defined at least in part byone or more holes formed through the display to allow optical accessthrough the display for optical components such as a front-facing camera1007 and a facial recognition system (which may include an opticalemitter 1008 and an optical receiver 1006). For example, a first hole1004 may be formed through the display (e.g., through all or a subset ofthe layers of a display stack), and a front-facing camera 1007 may bepositioned relative to the first hole 1004 such that the camera 1007 cancapture images through the front cover 1001 of the device 1000. A secondhole 1005 may be formed through the display (e.g., through all or asubset of the layers of the display stack), and an optical emitter 1008and an optical receiver 1006 may be positioned relative to the secondhole 1005 such that infrared light can be emitted and received throughthe front cover 1001 of the device 1000. As described herein, theoptical emitter 1008 may be an infrared illuminator module, and theoptical receiver 1006 may be an infrared image capture device.

In some cases, the front-facing sensor region 1002 may include one ormore masks, coatings, and/or other materials or treatments to define theboundaries of the front-facing sensor region 1002 and obscure internalcomponents of the device through the front-facing sensor region 1002.For example, masks 1010, 1011 may be applied to the cover 1001 toprovide a substantially uniform appearance to the front-facing sensorregion 1002 and/or to block visibility into the device through thefront-facing sensor region 1002. The masks 1010, 1011 may be positionedon an interior surface of the front cover 1001 in the areas where thefirst and second holes 1005, 1004 of the display are positioned. In somecases, the display stack overlaps the masks 1010, 1011 behind the masks,such that the masks 1010, 1011 occlude or block the visibility of theopenings in the display. The mask 1010 may define one or two holes abovethe optical emitter 1008 and optical receiver 1006. For example, themask 1010 may define a single hole that surrounds both the opticalemitter 1008 and optical receiver 1006, or separate holes for each ofthe optical emitter 1008 and optical receiver 1006. The mask 1011 maydefine a single hole that surrounds the front-facing camera 1007.

Further, a coating that is substantially opaque visually but at leastpartially transparent to infrared light may be applied to the cover 1001over the optical emitter 1008 and the optical receiver 1006. Thefront-facing sensor region 1002 may be configured so that when thedisplay 1009 is inactive (e.g., not illuminated and/or producing agraphical output), the front-facing sensor region 1002 and the displayappear to be substantially continuous. Stated another way, when thedisplay 1009 is inactive, there may be little or no discernable visualdifference between the display 1009 and the front-facing sensor region1002. To achieve this, the visually opaque, infrared-transmissivecoating and the mask 1010 may be designed to have similar opticalproperties (e.g., color, reflectance, opacity, etc.) to the display whenthe display is inactive.

As described herein, the front-facing sensor region 1002 may includesensors such as a facial recognition system and a front-facing camera.Additionally, as described herein, the front-facing sensor region 1002may include a supplemental display region 1012 that appears to be partof the graphically inactive area of the display, but in fact can be usedto provide graphical outputs to a user. For example, graphical outputsproduced by the display 1009 (e.g., graphical user interfaces of thedevice's operating system and/or applications) may not extend into or bedisplayed by the supplemental display region 1012. However, thesupplemental display region 1012 may be used to display icons, glyphs,lights, or other graphical outputs to provide information to a user. Asone nonlimiting example, an indicator 1013 may be displayed in thesupplemental display region 1012 to notify the user of an event or of astate of the device. For example, the indicator 1013 may indicate that anew message (e.g., email, text message, application notification) hasbeen received, or it may indicate that the front-facing camera orfacial-recognition sensor is active.

The dotted line in FIG. 10A illustrating the boundary between thesupplemental display region 1012 and the main active region of thedisplay 1009 may be a programmatic boundary (e.g., the display 1009 doesnot display main graphical output within the border), or a physical oroptical boundary (e.g., it may be defined by a coating, ink, or thelike). In some cases, substantially all of the supplemental displayregion 1012 is defined by a mask that covers and blocks the display, butdefines one or more holes that allow light from the display to passthrough to produce a graphical output within the supplemental displayregion 1012. For example, the indicator 1013 may represent or be definedby a hole through an opaque mask that is positioned above the display.For example, a supplemental display region mask may be positionedbetween the masks 1010, 1011 and over an active portion of the display.The supplemental display region mask may define a hole, and when theunderlying region of the display is illuminated, the indicator 1013appears illuminated. The supplemental display region mask may be aportion of a continuous mask (which may define the masks 1010, 1011 andthe supplemental display region mask). In other examples, thesupplemental display region mask may be a different mask from the masks1010, 1011 (e.g., e.g., formed from one or more different materialsand/or layers).

Further, the front-facing sensor region 1002, or a portion thereof, maybe touch- and/or force-sensitive, such that a user can provide touchinputs to the front-facing sensor region 1002. For example, touching ortapping on the front-facing sensor region 1002 may cause a cameraapplication to launch on the device 1000. As another example, touchingor tapping on the front-facing sensor region 1002 when a notification isactive in the supplemental display region 1012 may cause an applicationor other information related to the notification to be displayed on thedevice.

FIG. 10A illustrates other features of the front of the device 1000. Forexample, the device 1000 may include a speaker port 1014 positionedbetween the cover 1001 and the housing 1003. The speaker port 1014,which may correspond to or be an embodiment of the speaker port 110 inFIG. 1A, may be positioned outside of the active area of the display1009, and may be defined along at least a first side by a notch formedin the cover 1001, and on at least a second side by the housing 1003. Agrate element or other protective structure may be positioned within thespeaker port 1014 to inhibit ingress of debris into the device 1000. Aspeaker assembly 1099 may be positioned below the front cover 1001 andmay be coupled to an audio passage 1040 that is configured to transmitaudio from the speaker assembly 1099. The audio passage 1040 may extendfrom the speaker assembly 1099 to the speaker port 1014. Sound maytravel through the audio passage 1040, as illustrated by path 1015, toexit the device and be audible to a user. The device 1000 may alsoinclude a microphone 1020 positioned within the device and configured toreceive sound through the speaker port 1014.

The device 1000 may also include an ambient light sensor 1018, which maybe positioned outside of the front-facing sensor region 1002 and belowthe display 1009 (e.g., such that the ambient light sensor 1018 captureslight through the display stack in an active area of the display).

The device 1000 may also include a proximity sensor 1016, which may bepositioned outside of the front-facing sensor region 1002 and below thedisplay 1009 (e.g., such that the proximity sensor 1016 emits and/orreceives light through the display stack in an active area of thedisplay to detect proximity of an object to the device). The proximitysensor 1016 may operate (e.g., emitting light and receiving reflectedlight) when the display stack is active (e.g., actively displayinggraphical outputs).

FIG. 10B depicts area 10B-10B in FIG. 10A, illustrating details of theproximity sensor 1016 and its relationship to the display 1009. Theproximity sensor 1016 may include an optical emitter 1032 (e.g., a laseremitter) configured to emit light onto an object, and an opticalreceiver 1034 configured to receive and/or detect light, from theemitter, that is reflected by the object. The optical emitter 1032 mayemit light having a wavelength in a range from about 1300 nanometers(nm) to about 1400 nm. In some cases, the optical emitter 1032 emitslight having a wavelength of 1370 nm. The wavelength of the opticalemitter 1032 may be selected to reduce or minimize the extent to whichemission of light by the optical emitter 1032 interferes with thedisplay 1009. For example, certain wavelengths of light (e.g., betweenabout 900 nm and about 1000 nm) may cause the display 1009 to produce anoptical artifact (or otherwise be visible on the front of the device).Accordingly, the selected wavelength (e.g., in a range from about 1300nm to about 1400 nm) may reduce or eliminate visible artifacts (e.g.,flashes, bright spots, distortions, etc.) on the front of the devicewhen the optical emitter 1032 is emitting light.

In some cases, the optical emitter 1032 and the optical receiver 1034are positioned diagonally relative to a grid or pattern of traces in thedisplay stack. For example, the display stack may include a first set ofconductive traces 1030 oriented perpendicular to a second set ofconductive traces 1031 (e.g., forming a grid of traces). For simplicity,three of each set of conductive traces are shown (1030-1, 1030-2, 1030-3and 1031-1, 1031-2, 1031-3), though these are merely a portion of theconductive traces present in the display stack. The conductive tracesmay be electrodes for a touch sensor, electrodes for a displaycomponent, or for other purposes. In the case of a display component,the first or second set of conductive traces 1030, 1031 may be a set ofanodes for an OLED display, and the other of the first or second set ofconductive traces 1030, 1031 may be a set of cathodes for the OLEDdisplay. The conductive traces may be optically transmissive (e.g.,transparent) conductive traces and may be formed from or include indiumtin oxide (ITO), silver nanowire, conductive polymers, or the like, andmay be positioned on a substrate of the display.

In some cases, the optical receiver 1034 may be positioned diagonallyfrom the optical emitter 1032, relative to the grid of traces formed bythe first and second traces 1030, 1031. This arrangement may reduce orminimize optical effects of the traces, such as the traces reflectinglight emitted from the optical emitter 1032 into the optical receiver1034. For example, FIG. 10B illustrates a pair of conductive traces1030-1 and 1031-1 intersecting above the optical emitter 1032. When theoptical emitter 1032 emits light, the light may be reflected by and/orpropagated along the conductive traces 1030-1, 1031-1. If the opticalreceiver 1034 were positioned, relative to the optical emitter 1032,along either of the conductive traces 1030-1, 1030-2, the lightreflected by and/or propagated along the conductive traces may bedetected by the optical receiver 1034, which may negatively impact thesignal to noise ratio of the proximity sensor 1016. More particularly,the proximity sensor 1016 may determine the proximity of an object(e.g., a user's face, the inside of a user's pocket, etc.) to the deviceby emitting light from the optical emitter 1032 and receiving areflected portion of the light at the optical receiver 1034. If lightfrom the optical emitter 1032 leaks into the optical receiver 1034(e.g., due to being reflected or otherwise directed to the opticalreceiver 1034 via the conductive traces), the ability of the opticalreceiver 1034 to distinguish between the leaked light and lightreflected from an external object may be hindered (e.g., thesignal-to-noise ratio may be increased). By positioning the opticalreceiver 1034 along a direction that is oblique to traces 1030, 1031,the amount of traces that pass over both the optical emitter 1032 andthe optical receiver 1034 may be reduced. In some cases, there are notraces 1030, 1031 that are positioned over both the optical emitter 1032and the optical receiver 1034. In some cases, the optical receiver 1034and the optical emitter 1032 may be positioned along a direction that isbetween about 40 and 50 degrees relative to the either the traces 1030or the traces 1031. In some cases, the optical emitter 1032 may bepositioned along a direction that is about 45 degrees relative to theeither the traces 1030 or the traces 1031. In some cases, the opticalemitter 1032 and the optical receiver 1034 are positioned below aportion of the display where no traces are present (e.g., a gap in thegrid of traces).

The optical emitter 1032 and the optical receiver 1034 may be positionedbelow holes 1028, 1026, respectively, defined through a backing layer ofthe display 1009. The backing layer may be a metal (or other material)sheet or layer that is part of the display stack. The backing layer maybe opaque, and as such the holes 1028, 1026 provide optical access forthe optical emitter 1032 and the optical receiver 1034. The opticalemitter 1032 and the optical receiver 1034 may emit and receive light,respectively, through the portions of the display 1009 that are abovethe emitter and receiver, and through the holes 1028, 1026.

In some cases, the hole 1026 (for the optical receiver 1034) has agreater size than the hole 1028. The hole 1026 may also be shaped tominimize or attenuate crosstalk between the optical emitter 1032 and theoptical receiver 1034. For example, the hole 1026 may be narrower whereit is nearest the optical emitter 1032, and wider where it is furtheraway from the optical emitter 1032, thereby presenting a smaller openingnear the emitter, where light is more likely to be reflected by thedisplay and/or cover into the receiver. The hole 1026 may have a firstside 1042 that extends along an oblique direction (relative to theconductive traces) and a second side 1044 that extends along a differentoblique direction (relative to the conductive traces), to define thetapered shape of the hole 1026 (e.g., tapering from a wider end remotefrom the hole 1028 to a narrower end proximate the hole 1028).

The proximity sensor 1016 may include a housing 1024, and may bepositioned in the device proximate a bracket structure 1022. The bracketstructure 1022 may be a bracket structure for a rear-facing camera orsensor array. The bracket structure 1022 may define an angled wallsection 1046, which may be positioned along a direction that is obliqueto traces 1030, 1031. The housing 1024 may define a wall section 1048that is also oblique to the traces 1030, 1031, and may be parallel tothe wall section 1046 (and set apart from the wall section 1046 by agap). The angled wall sections 1046, 1048 may allow the proximity sensor1016 to be positioned close to the bracket structure 1022 while stillproviding sufficient target clearance between the components. Moreover,the angled wall sections 1046, 1048 may allow the proximity sensor 1016and bracket structure 1022 to be positioned closer to each other thanmay be possible if either or both components had full corners, which mayultimately reduce the overall width of the device or otherwise allowgreater space within the device for other components.

FIG. 11A illustrates a partially exploded view of a device 1100. Thedevice 1100 may correspond to or be an embodiment of the electronicdevices 100, 200, or any other device described herein. FIG. 11Aillustrates various components of a front-facing sensor region, such asthe front-facing sensor region 1002. The device 1100 includes a frontcover 1101, which may correspond to or be an embodiment of the frontcover 1101, or another front cover described herein. The front cover1101 may include one or more opaque masks, including masks 1140, 1138,and 1139. The mask 1140 may define and/or extend around an outerperiphery of the active display region of a display. The mask 1138 mayextend around or define a window region 1136, through which componentsof a facial recognition system (e.g., the optical emitter 1008 and theoptical receiver 1006) may emit and/or receive light. As described abovewith respect to FIG. 10A, the mask 1138 may define a single opening forboth an optical emitter and an optical receiver (as shown in FIG. 11A),or a separate opening for each of the optical emitter and opticalreceiver. A visually opaque, infrared-transmissive coating 1160 may beapplied to the interior surface of the front cover 1101 in the windowregion 1136, as described herein. The mask 1139 may extend around ordefine a window region 1137, through which a front-facing camera (e.g.,the camera 1007) may receive light.

The masks 1138, 1139, and 1140 may be formed from or include the samematerial or combinations of materials (optionally including multiplelayers of material). In some cases, the masks are formed from or includedifferent materials or combinations of materials. For example, the mask1138 may be formed from a different material (or combination ofmaterials) than the mask 1140. The masks 1138, 1139, and 1140 may beformed from or include inks, paints, dyes, deposited coatings (e.g., CVDcoatings, PVD coatings or the like). In some case, one or more of themasks may be formed from a transparent polymer (optionally defining asurface texture), and an ink, dye, or other opaque coating (e.g.,applied to the textured surface). FIG. 12G illustrates an example maskwith a light-transmissive (e.g., transparent) polymer and an opaquecoating. The masks 1138, 1139, 1140 (and optionally additional masks)may be positioned between the front cover 1101 and any edge region ofthe display 1141 to mask the edge of the display.

The display 1141 may be coupled to the front cover 1101, such as with anadhesive, and the front cover 1101 may be coupled to the frame 1142(e.g., corresponding to or an embodiment of the frame 204, FIG. 2 ). Thedisplay 1141 may include holes 1104, 1105 formed therethrough. The holes1104, 1105 may be aligned with (and provide optical access through thedisplay for) an optical emitter 1108, an optical receiver 1106, and acamera 1107 (which may correspond to or be embodiments of the opticalemitter 1008, optical receiver 1006, and camera 1007 in FIG. 10A, orother corresponding components described herein).

The device 1100 may include light inhibiting structures to inhibit lightthat is emitted from the optical emitter 1108 being reflected throughthe front cover 1101 towards the optical receiver 1106 (e.g., producingcrosstalk or otherwise reducing the signal-to-noise ratio). For example,as described herein, the device 1100 may include an upperlight-absorbing structure 1143 that includes a portion positionedbetween the optical emitter 1108 and the optical receiver 1106 (andoptionally defines two holes, one for each of the optical emitter 1108and the optical receiver 1106). The upper light-absorbing structure 1143may be formed from or include a foam, a polymer structure, an ink layer,a paint, a coating, or the like. In some cases, the upperlight-absorbing structure 1143 may be coupled to the interior surface ofthe front cover 1101 via an adhesive 1155. In some cases, a lowerlight-absorbing structure 1144 may be coupled to a bracket 1145 to whichthe optical emitter 1108 and the optical receiver 1106 are coupled. Thelight-absorbing structures 1143, 1144, and the adhesive 1155 may beconfigured to block and/or absorb light, as described herein.

FIG. 11B is a partial cross-sectional view of the device 1100 viewedalong line 11B-11B in FIG. 11A. As noted above, the optical emitter 1108may be configured to illuminate an object, such as a user's face, andthe optical receiver 1106 may receive a portion of the light that isreflected from the user's face (e.g., in order to biometrically identifythe user for authentication or other purposes). The light emitted by theoptical emitter 1108 passes through the front cover 1101 over theoptical emitter 1108, and the reflected portion of the light passes backthrough the front cover 1101 over the optical receiver 1106. However, aportion of the light emitted from the optical emitter 1108 may in somecases be reflected or propagated through the cover 1101, as illustratedby light 1146. If the light 1146 is ultimately received by the opticalreceiver 1106, it may interfere with the operation of the opticalreceiver 1106, such as by decreasing the signal-to-noise ratio, orotherwise distorting or interfering with the image received by theoptical receiver 1106. Accordingly, the light-absorbing features,including the light-absorbing structures 1143, 1144, and the adhesive1155, may absorb, block, or otherwise interfere with the internalpropagation of light 1146 through the cover 1101. For example, theadhesive 1155 may be formed from or include a light-absorbing material,such as a light-absorbing ink, light-absorbing particles, or the like.The adhesive 1155 may be a pressure-sensitive adhesive film, aheat-sensitive adhesive film, a liquid adhesive, or the like. The upperlight-absorbing structure 1143 may be formed from or include alight-absorbing material, such as a light-absorbing ink, light-absorbingparticles, or the like. In some cases, the upper light-absorbingstructure 1143 is compliant (e.g., a foam material) such that theoptical emitter 1108 and the optical receiver 1106 deform the structureslightly, thereby sealing the optical emitter 1108 and the opticalreceiver 1106 against the upper light-absorbing structure 1143. Theadhesive 1155 may be adhered to a visually opaque, infrared-transmissivecoating 1160 that may be positioned on the front cover 1101 in thewindow region 1136.

The lower light-absorbing structure 1144 may be positioned below theupper light-absorbing structure 1143, and may be configured to absorb(or otherwise not reflect) other light that may be incident thereon. Forexample, some light may pass through the upper light-absorbing structure1143, and the lower light-absorbing structure 1144 may absorb some ofthat light, thereby reducing the amount of light reflecting within thesystem that could ultimately be received by the optical receiver 1106.The lower light-absorbing structure 1144 may be formed from or include alight-absorbing ink, light-absorbing paint, light absorbing particles, alight-absorbing film or coating, or the like.

The visually opaque, infrared-transmissive coating 1160, the adhesive1155, and the upper light-absorbing structure 1143 (and/or otherlight-absorbing materials or layers in the stack) may have indices ofrefraction that are substantially similar to the index of refraction ofthe front cover 1101. By selecting materials that have similar indicesof refraction, light being reflected within the material of the cover1101 (e.g., the light 1146) may be more likely to be transmitted throughthe interface between the materials, rather than be reflectedinternally. By allowing the light to pass out of the cover 1101 (andinto the adhesive 1155 and upper light-absorbing structure 1143), theamount of light that is ultimately propagated towards and into theoptical receiver 1106 may be reduced. In some cases, the indices ofrefraction of the visually opaque, infrared-transmissive coating 1160,the adhesive 1155, and the upper light-absorbing structure 1143 may haveindices of refraction that differ from the index of refraction of thefront cover 1101 by less than about 10%, less than about 7%, less thanabout 5%, less than about 2%, or less than about 1%. In some cases, theadhesive 1155 and the upper light-absorbing structure 1143 may includelight-absorbing media in a matrix. In such cases, the matrix may have anindex of refraction that is substantially similar to that of the cover1101 (or an adjacent layer in the stack), and the light-absorbing mediamay have an index of refraction that differs by a greater amount.

FIG. 11C illustrates another example arrangement of light-absorbingmaterials and/or structures within the device 1100. In the example shownin FIG. 11C, a light-absorbing layer 1150 may be positioned on theinterior surface of the cover 1101, and a visually opaque,infrared-transmissive coating 1151 may be positioned over thelight-absorbing layer 1150 (e.g., such that the coating 1151 covers thewindow region 1136). The light-absorbing layer 1150 may be between thecover 1101 and the coating 1151. In some examples, the coating 1151 maynot cover the light-absorbing layer 1150, or only partially covers thelight-absorbing layer 1150. The light-absorbing layer 1150 may be anink, dye, paint, deposited coating (e.g., CVD or PVD coating), orcombinations thereof. The light-absorbing layer 1150 may also includelight-absorbing media in a matrix material. The light-absorbing layer1150 may have an index of refraction that is substantially similar tothat of the cover 1101, as described above with respect to otherlight-absorbing materials.

FIG. 11D illustrates another example arrangement of light-absorbingmaterials and/or structures within the device 1100. In the example shownin FIG. 11D, a light-absorbing layer 1152 may be positioned on the cover1101 below the visually opaque, infrared-transmissive coating 1160. Thelight-absorbing layer 1152 may be an ink, dye, paint, deposited coating(e.g., CVD or PVD coating), light-absorbing adhesive, light-absorbingfoam, or combinations thereof. The light-absorbing layer 1152 may alsoinclude light-absorbing media in a matrix material. The light-absorbinglayer 1152 may have an index of refraction that is substantially similarto that of the cover 1101 and the visually opaque, infrared-transmissivecoating 1151, as described above with respect to other light-absorbingmaterials.

FIG. 11E illustrates additional techniques for absorbing the internalpropagation of light through the cover 1101 from the optical emitter1108 to the optical receiver 1106. For example, the cover 1101 mayinclude internal light-absorbing features 1156 (referred to herein asinternal features 1156). In some cases, the internal features 1156 maybe marks formed within the material of the cover 1101 via laser marking.The marks may be darkened portions of the material in the cover 1101 orvoids formed in the cover 1101. The marks may be formed in athree-dimensional pattern that is configured to reduce lighttransmission and/or internal reflection in the horizontal direction(e.g., as oriented in FIG. 11E), while minimizing or generally havinglittle effect on the visual appearance of the markings as viewed fromthe front of the device. The marks may be formed in a predeterminedthree-dimensional pattern, or they may be formed in a random orpseudorandom pattern. In some examples, the marks may be formed in asubstantially planar array that extends vertically (as oriented in FIG.11E) from the interior surface of the cover 1101 to the exterior surfaceof the cover 1101. The internal features 1156 may be other types offeatures and may be formed in different ways. For example, the internalfeatures 1156 may be ions that are introduced into the cover 1101 via achemical bath. As another example, the internal features 1156 may belocalized pigments within the cover 1101. The internal features 1156 mayblock, absorb, reflect, or otherwise interfere with light that ispropagating internally through the cover 1101 towards the opticalreceiver 1106.

In some cases, the cover 1101 may include a textured region 1157. Thetextured region 1157 may cause light that would otherwise be reflectedfrom the interior surface of the cover 1101 to be absorbed, reflectedalong a different direction (e.g., away from the optical receiver 1106),directed out of the cover 1101 (e.g., towards the inside of the deviceand optionally towards a light absorbing material, such as a lightabsorbing foam 1158), or otherwise interfered with. The texture of thetextured region 1157 may be formed via laser treatment, chemicaletching, blasting, machining (e.g., grinding, lapping), or any othersuitable technique.

The light-absorbing components, materials, features, structures, andother techniques described with respect to FIGS. 11A-11E may be usedalone or in combination with others. For example, internallight-absorbing features may also be included in the cover 1101 in theexample shown in FIG. 11B. As another example, the light-absorbingadhesive 1155 and light-absorbing structure 1143 shown in FIG. 11B maybe included in the example shown in FIG. 11C, in which a light-absorbinglayer 1150 is positioned between the cover 1101 and theinfrared-transmissive coating 1151. Other combinations of the describedcomponents, materials, features, structures, and other techniques arealso contemplated.

As described herein, light-absorbing materials or structures may beconfigured to absorb light by their presence in the device. Thelight-absorbing materials and/or structures described herein may have anabsorbance (e.g., the logarithm of the ratio of incident to transmittedradiant power through the material or structure) greater than about 0.5,greater than about 0.75, greater than about 1.0, greater than about 1.5,or another suitable absorbance value.

FIG. 12A illustrates an example configuration of the layers of a displaystack in the area of the front-facing sensor region 1002. As shown inFIG. 12A, the dotted line defining the perimeter of the front-facingsensor region 1002 may correspond to a perimeter of a mask (e.g., anink, dye, coating, or the like) positioned on the cover (e.g., along abottom or interior surface). For example, the dotted line defining theperimeter of the front-facing sensor region 1002 may correspond to theouter perimeter of the mask 1138 in FIG. 11A (which may be positionedalong an interior surface of the cover and between the cover and thedisplay). The mask may extend to the boundaries 1206. In some cases, themask may extend to the lines defining the optical emitter 1008, theoptical receiver 1006, and the front-facing camera 1007, or to anotherlocation within the front-facing sensor region 1002.

The boundaries 1202 may define the boundaries of the areas of thedisplay that include active display pixels (e.g., pixels that the deviceuses to produce graphical outputs). As described above, in some cases,the device 1000 may include a supplemental display region 1208 betweencomponents of the front-facing sensor region 1002 (e.g., between afront-facing camera 1007 and a facial recognition system). Thesupplemental display region 1208 may include active pixels that may beused to display graphical outputs, such as icons, shapes, indicatorlights, or the like. The supplemental display region 1208 may also betouch- and/or force-sensitive. For example, the supplemental displayregion 1208 may include all of the layers of the display stack,including any touch- and/or force-sensitive layers and graphicallyactive layers. The supplemental display region 1208 may act as afunctionally and/or physically distinct input and output region. Forexample, the display may generally define a region outside (e.g.,surrounding) the front-facing sensor region 1002 that includes a firsttouch-sensitive region and a first display region. Inside thefront-facing sensor region 1002, the display may generally define asecond touch-sensitive region (e.g., using display pixels at or near theborder of the front-facing sensor region 1002 and/or in a supplementaldisplay region) and a second display region (e.g., the supplementaldisplay region 1208).

The boundaries 1204 may define the boundaries of the activetouch-sensitive areas of the display stack. Stated another way, the areabetween 1202 and 1204 may correspond to one or more touch-sensingcomponents, such as layers of the display stack, that can sense touchinputs (e.g., one or more electrode layers that define touch pixels, orother touch-sensitive components). Thus, as shown in FIG. 12A, theactive touch-sensitive area of the display stack extends further intothe front-facing sensor region 1002 than the active display pixels, anddefines an extended touch-sensitive area 1203 in the front-facing sensorregion 1002. The extended touch-sensitive area 1203 may be positionedbelow a mask (e.g., ink, dye, coating, etc., such as the mask 1138 inFIG. 11A) that is positioned on the cover to at least partially definethe front-facing sensor region 1002. By extending the activetouch-sensitive area 1203 beyond the active display pixels and into thefront-facing sensor region 1002, the front-facing sensor region 1002 mayexhibit improved touch sensing responsiveness. For example, the extraarea of touch sensitivity within the front-facing sensor region 1002reduces the area in the front-facing sensor region 1002 that lackstouch-sensing components (e.g., electrodes or touch pixels). In somecases, the area of the front-facing sensor region 1002 that lackstouch-sensing components is less than about 0.25 square inches. In somecases, as described herein, the front-facing sensor region 1002 cansense touch inputs applied thereto, even when the touch inputs areapplied to or encompass areas of the front-facing sensor region 1002that lack touch-sensing components. FIGS. 13A-13F further illustrate thetouch sensitivity of the front-facing sensor region 1002.

In some cases, the touch pixels and/or electrode patterns that areproximate the boundaries 1204 (e.g., closest to the holes formed throughthe display stack) may be different from the touch pixels and/orelectrode patterns elsewhere in the display (e.g., in the main displayregion). For example, the touch pixels and/or electrode patterns thatare proximate the boundaries 1204 (e.g., surrounding the touch-inactiveregion of the front-facing sensor region 1002) may have a differentsize, shape, arrangement, pattern, distribution, or other property, thanthe touch pixels and/or electrode patterns in the main display region.

The boundaries 1206 may define the boundaries of inactive areas of thedisplay stack (e.g., areas that do not produce graphical outputs andthat are not touch- and/or force-sensitive). Stated another way, thearea between 1204 and 1206 may correspond to one or more layers of thedisplay stack that are inactive and do not produce graphical outputs orsense touch inputs. For example, the display stack may include layersand/or materials that do not sense touches or produce graphics, such aslight diffusers, polarizers, adhesives, and the like. Such layers mayextend beyond the active display and active touch-sensitive areas of thedisplay. In some cases, the boundaries 1206 correspond to (e.g., define)the holes formed through the display stack to provide unobstructedoptical access by components of the front-facing sensor region 1002 tothe cover. Stated another way, the line 1206 may correspond to an edgeof the display stack.

As described herein, touch-sensing functionality may be provided in thefront-facing sensor region 1002 despite areas of the front-facing sensorregion 1002 lacking touch-sensing components. For example, as describedabove, the holes formed through the display stack to accommodate opticalcomponents (e.g., optical emitters, receivers, cameras) lacktouch-sensing layers. Nevertheless, a device may detect touch inputsapplied to the front-facing sensor region 1002 even when the touch iscentered over a portion of the front-facing sensor region 1002 thatlacks touch-sensing components (e.g., over the holes for the opticalcomponents). For example, the touch-sensing layers of the display mayinclude touch pixels (e.g., formed from or including touch-sensingelectrodes) that detect or facilitate detection of a touch input, suchas via capacitive coupling between a finger and the pixels. When a usertouches the front-facing sensor region 1002 in an area that lacks touchpixels, such as directly over the optical emitter 1008, optical receiver1006, or camera 1007, the touch pixels of the display that arepositioned around the periphery of the front-facing sensor region 1002may capacitively couple to the user's finger. The electrical response ofthe peripheral touch pixels to a touch input in the front-facing sensorregion 1002 may be different than an electrical response of the touchpixels in a main display region when subjected to a conventional touchinput. For example, the peripheral touch pixels may detect lesscapacitive coupling, and/or a smaller area of capacitive coupling, thanmay be detected for conventional touch inputs in a main display region.

In order to facilitate detection of touch inputs to the front-facingsensor region 1002, sample inputs may be provided to a samplefront-facing sensor region 1002 to determine the electrical responsethat is detected in response to the sample inputs. For example, a seriesof taps, touches, gestures (e.g., swipes), etc., in different areas ofthe front-facing sensor region 1002 may be provided, and the electricalresponse of the peripheral touch pixels recorded for each touch. Thedevice may then be configured to recognize that a particular electricalresponse (e.g., a certain capacitive change detected by a certain set oftouch pixels) corresponds to a particular input. In some cases, thesample inputs may be used to train a machine learning model that is thenused by the device to detect inputs. For example, signals or otherinformation or electrical characteristics from the touch pixels may beprovided to a machine learning model (which is trained using the sampleinputs), which determines whether the signals or otherinformation/characteristics are indicative of a touch input.

In some cases, a device may employ different touch-sensing schemes indifferent regions of the display. For example, in the main displayregion (e.g., everywhere other than the front-facing sensor region1002), the device may employ a first touch-sensing scheme, and proximatethe front-facing sensor region 1002, the device may employ a secondtouch-sensing scheme. The first touch-sensing scheme may be aconventional touch-sensing scheme, such as where the centroid of touchinputs are determined based on electrical characteristics detected at aset of touch pixels. The second touch-sensing scheme may employ amachine learning model, where signals or other information or electricalcharacteristics from the touch pixels proximate the front-facing sensorregion 1002 may be provided to a machine learning model, whichdetermines whether the signals or other information/characteristics areindicative of a touch input.

FIG. 12B illustrates another example configuration of the layers of adisplay stack in the area of a front-facing sensor region 1211 of adevice 1210. The device 1210 may correspond to or be an embodiment ofthe device 1000. As shown in FIG. 12B, the dotted line defining theperimeter of the front-facing sensor region 1211 may correspond to aperimeter of a mask (e.g., an ink, dye, coating, or the like) positionedon the cover (e.g., along a bottom or interior surface). For example,the dotted line defining the perimeter of the front-facing sensor region1211 may correspond to the mask 1138 in FIG. 11A (which may bepositioned along an interior surface of the cover and between the coverand the display). Also, the boundaries 1212 may define the boundaries ofthe areas of the display that include active display pixels (e.g.,pixels that the device uses to produce graphical outputs). In thisexample, the boundaries 1212 may be the same as those depicted in FIG.12A.

The boundaries 1214 may define the boundaries of the activetouch-sensitive area of the display stack. Thus, as shown in FIG. 12B,the active touch-sensitive area of the display stack extends between theoptical emitter 1008 and the optical receiver 1006, thereby increasingthe area inside the front-facing sensor region 1211 that is touchsensitive (as compared to FIG. 12A, for example). Stated another way,the front-facing sensor region 1211 has individual holes through thedisplay stack for each optical component of the front-facing sensorregion 1211, thereby increasing the area of the front-facing sensorregion 1211 that is touch sensitive. This configuration also reduces theproportion of the area within the front-facing sensor region 1211 thatlacks touch-sensing components (e.g., electrodes), which may improve theoverall touch sensitivity or touch responsiveness of the front-facingsensor region 1211. The portion of the touch-sensitive area of thedisplay stack extending between the optical emitter 1008 and the opticalreceiver 1006 may define a supplemental touch-sensitive area 1213.

Similar to FIG. 12A, the boundaries 1216 may define the boundaries ofinactive areas of the display stack (e.g., areas that do not producegraphical outputs and that are not touch- and/or force-sensitive). Thus,as described above, the boundaries 1216 may correspond to the holesformed through the display stack to provide unobstructed optical accessby components of the front-facing sensor region 1211 to the cover.

FIG. 12C illustrates another example configuration of the layers of adisplay stack in the area of a front-facing sensor region 1221 of adevice 1220. The device 1220 may correspond to or be an embodiment ofthe device 1000. As shown in FIG. 12C, the dotted line defining theperimeter of the front-facing sensor region 1221 may correspond to aperimeter of a mask (e.g., an ink, dye, coating, or the like) positionedon the cover (e.g., along a bottom or interior surface). For example,the dotted line defining the perimeter of the front-facing sensor region1221 may correspond to the mask 1138 in FIG. 11A (which may bepositioned along an interior surface of the cover and between the coverand the display). Also, the boundaries 1222 may define the boundaries ofthe areas of the display that include active display pixels (e.g.,pixels that the device uses to produce graphical outputs). In thisexample, the boundaries 1222 may be the same as those depicted in FIG.12A.

The boundaries 1224 may define the boundaries of the activetouch-sensitive area of the display stack. Thus, as shown in FIG. 12C,the active touch-sensitive area of the display stack defines extensionregions 1223-1 and 1223-2 that extend into the region between theoptical emitter 1008 and the optical receiver 1006, but do not extendfully across the region between the optical emitter 1008 and the opticalreceiver 1006. Accordingly, the extension regions 1223-1 and 1223-2increase the area inside the front-facing sensor region 1221 that istouch sensitive (as compared to FIG. 12A, for example), while stilldefining a single opening for the optical emitter 1008 and the opticalreceiver 1006. Stated another way, the front-facing sensor region 1221has a single hole through the display stack for the optical emitter andreceiver, and a single hole for the front-facing camera 1007. Thisconfiguration also reduces the proportion of the area within thefront-facing sensor region 1221 that lacks touch-sensing components(e.g., electrodes), which may improve the overall touch sensitivity ortouch responsiveness of the front-facing sensor region 1221. Theextension regions 1223-1 and 1223-2 may define supplementaltouch-sensitive areas within the front-facing sensor region 1221.

Similar to FIG. 12A, the boundaries 1226 may define the boundaries ofinactive areas of the display stack (e.g., areas that do not producegraphical outputs and that are not touch- and/or force-sensitive). Thus,as described above, the boundaries 1226 may correspond to the holesformed through the display stack to provide unobstructed optical accessby components of the front-facing sensor region 1221 to the cover.

FIG. 12D illustrates another example configuration of a front-facingsensor region 1231 of a device 1230. The device 1230 may correspond toor be an embodiment of the device 1000. As shown, the front-facingsensor region 1231 may include a pattern of conductive elements 1232.The conductive elements 1232 may be, for example, conductive materialtraces applied to the front cover of the device 1230 (e.g., the interiorsurface of the front cover). As another example, the conductive elements1232 may be positioned on a mask or coating layer that is positionedalong the interior surface of the front cover. In other examples, theconductive elements 1232 may be positioned on or otherwise incorporatedwith any suitable layer, stackup, or coating, of a front-facing sensorregion. The conductive elements 1232 may be formed from a conductivematerial, such as metal traces (e.g., CVD or PVD metal traces), carbonfiber filaments, indium tin oxide traces, wires, silver nanowire traces,or any other suitable material.

The conductive elements 1232 may provide a conductive or capacitivecoupling between a touch input applied to the front-facing sensor region1231 and touch pixels on a touch-sensing layer (or layers) of a displaystack. More particularly, in the example of FIG. 12D, thetouch-sensitive layers may terminate at or near the boundary illustratedby the dotted line 1231, and the conductive elements 1232 extend to (andoptionally overlap or are coupled to) the touch-sensitive layers. When auser applies a finger on the front-facing sensor region 1231, acapacitive coupling (or conductive coupling) between the user's fingerand the conductive elements 1232 may ultimately change a capacitive orconductive coupling between the conductive elements 1232 and the touchpixels (or touch sensing electrodes) of the touch-sensitive layers thatare proximate and/or surround the edge of the front-facing sensor region1231 (e.g., proximate the dotted line boundary in FIG. 12D). Thetouch-sensing system of the device may detect the changes caused by usercontact with the front-facing sensor region 1231 (and the consequentcapacitive coupling to the conductive elements 1232) and determinewhether (and where) a touch input has been applied.

While FIGS. 12A-12D show various components, borders, boundaries,layers, and the like, it will be understood that these are notnecessarily visible or visually discernable (with an unaided eye) fromthe front of the devices. Rather, as described herein, masks, coatings,and/or other layers, components, materials, treatments, etc., may beprovided along the interior surface of the cover. For example, in somecases, the devices include a mask (e.g., the mask 1138, FIG. 11A) and,optionally, a visually opaque, infrared-transmissive coating, thatdefine the visual appearance of the front-facing sensor region. In somecases, a mask defines one or more holes for the optical components ofthe front-facing sensor region (e.g., ring-like masks defining a centralopening). In some cases, such as over the optical emitter and/orreceiver of a facial recognition system) an infrared-transmissivecoating is positioned in the opening of the mask and defines the visualappearance of that portion of the front-facing sensor region. Eachring-like mask in a front-facing sensor region may accommodate one ormore optical components. For example, as shown in FIG. 11A, the mask1138 may define an opening for both an optical emitter and an opticalreceiver, and the mask 1139 may define an opening for a front-facingcamera. In other examples, separate openings in one or more masks aredefined for the optical emitter and the optical receiver.

FIG. 12E is a partial cross-sectional view of a portion of afront-facing sensor region. The view shown in FIG. 12E may generallycorrespond to a section viewed along line 12E-12E in FIG. 12A. FIG. 12Eillustrates a portion of a visually opaque, infrared-transmissivecoating 1257 (also referred to simply as a coating 1257) that may bepositioned over an optical component of the front-facing sensor region(e.g., an optical emitter and/or optical receiver). The coating 1257 maypartially overlap a mask structure 1258 that defines an opening for theoptical component. The visually opaque, infrared-transmissive coating1257 and the mask structure 1258 may correspond to or be embodiments ofother visually opaque, infrared-transmissive coatings and masksdescribed herein (e.g., the coating 1160 and the mask 1138, FIG. 11B).The coating 1257 and the mask structure 1258 are positioned on aninterior surface of a front cover 1259.

A display stack 1260 may partially overlap the mask structure 1258, asdescribed herein. In particular, the mask structure 1258 may occlude orblock the visibility of the edge of the display stack 1260 where a holeis formed through the display stack 1260 to accommodate a front-facingoptical component. The display stack may include a first adhesive layer1233 (e.g., an optically clear adhesive), a polarizer layer 1234, asecond adhesive layer 1235 (e.g., an optically clear adhesive), adisplay layer 1236 (e.g., a layer that includes light-emittingcomponents, light emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes, and/orcomponents thereof), and a support layer 1237. Where the display stack1260 overlaps the mask structure 1258, the display stack 1260, orportions thereof, may be deflected and/or deformed, as shown by the jogsin the adhesive layers 1233, 1235 and the polarizer layer 1234. Moreparticularly, the additional height or thickness of the mask structure1258 may cause the display (or portions thereof) to be deflected and/ordeformed away from the interior surface of the front cover 1259. Thesedeflections and/or deformations may produce visual artifacts that arevisually apparent on the front of the device (e.g., distortions,waviness, color variations, etc.). Accordingly, a display stack may beconfigured as shown in FIG. 12F to help eliminate or reduce the extentof the deflections and/or deformations in the display stack.

As shown in FIG. 12F, a display stack 1238 includes a first adhesivelayer 1239 (e.g., an optically clear adhesive), a polarizer layer 1240,a second adhesive layer 1241 (e.g., an optically clear adhesive), adisplay layer 1242 (e.g., a layer that includes light-emittingcomponents, light emitting diodes, organic light emitting diodes, and/orcomponents thereof), and a support layer 1243. As shown in FIG. 12F, thefirst adhesive layer 1239 may be formed from a liquid or flowableadhesive, such that the adhesive itself may flow to accommodate the maskstructure 1258 (e.g., defining a recess that corresponds to the elevatedsurface defined by the mask structure 1258), without imparting acorresponding downward force or deflection on the lower layers of thedisplay stack 1238. In particular, an adhesive film that does not flowor compress significantly may, when placed on the mask structure 1258 asshown, deflect downward, causing a corresponding downward deflection ofdisplay layers that are lower in the stack. By using a liquid or otherflowable adhesive, the process of applying the display stack to thefront cover 1259 can cause the adhesive layer 1239 to conform to theshape of the mask structure 1258 without deflecting the lower displaylayers. The adhesive layer 1239 may thereafter be cured (e.g., via anultraviolet curing process) or otherwise allowed to harden, and therebybond the display stack to the cover 1259.

In some cases, the support layer 1243 may extend to the edge of thedisplay stack (as shown in FIG. 12F), or optionally beyond the edge ofthe display stack. The support layer 1243 may prevent or inhibitdeformation or deflection of the display stack due to the display stackoverlapping the mask structure 1258. Accordingly, the support layer 1243extending to or beyond the edge of the display stack may help reducedeformation or deflection of the display stack at its edge.Additionally, the added rigidity of the support layer 1243 may helpensure that the adhesive layer 1239 deforms and/or flows to conform tothe mask structure 1258 (e.g., rather than the adhesive layer 1239forcing the display stack layers below it to deform or deflect due tothe mask thickness).

FIG. 12G is a detail view of the area 12G-12G in FIG. 12F, showing wherethe visually opaque, infrared-transmissive layer 1257 overlaps the maskstructure 1258 and illustrating example features of the mask structure1258. For example, the mask structure 1258 may include a base material1277, which may be a polymer coating layer such as a UV curable acrylic,an adhesive, or the like. The base material 1277 may define a texturedsurface 1244 along a bottom of the base material 1277 (e.g., oppositethe surface that contacts the cover 1259). The textured surface 1244 maybe formed using an imprinting operation, in which a texture template ormold is applied to the base material 1277 to define the texture. Forexample, an acrylic or other flowable polymer material may be applied tothe cover 1259, and a mold or other imprinting component may be appliedto the interior surface of the material to define the texture of thetextured surface 1244, and may subsequently be cured or otherwiseallowed to harden. In other examples, the textured surface 1244 isformed (either on an uncured/flowable material or a cured/hardenedmaterial) using laser etching, chemical etching, blasting (e.g., sandblasting), abrasion, photolithography, or another suitable textureforming operation. The texture of the textured surface 1244 may have arandom or pseudorandom pattern, or they may have a regular or periodicpattern. The parameters and/or properties of the texture may beconfigured to produce a certain visual appearance when the maskstructure 1258 is viewed through the cover 1259. For example, the maskstructure 1258 may be configured to have a visual appearance that is thesame as or substantially similar to the visual appearance of the displaywhen the display is inactive. Example properties and/or parameters ofthe texture that are tuned or selected to produce the target visualappearance include texture feature depth, height, surface roughnessvalue (e.g., Ra, Rq), texture feature pitch, texture feature angle,texture feature shape, texture pattern, and the like.

A mask coating 1245 may be applied to the textured surface 1244 of thebase material 1277. The mask coating 1245 may be opaque (e.g., an opaquemask) or otherwise configured to block the visibility of internalcomponents. The mask coating 1245 may be a deposited coating (e.g., aPVD coating, CVD coating, or the like), ink, paint, dye, or anothersuitable material. The thickness of the mask structure 1258 (e.g., thebase material 1277 and the mask coating 1245) may have a thicknessbetween about 5 microns and about 15 microns (e.g., at its thickestlocation and/or as an average thickness). The mask coating 1245 mayconform to the textured surface 1244, such that the mask coating 1245defines a complementary texture and/or shape of the textured surface1244.

FIG. 12H is a detail view of the region where the visually opaque,infrared-transmissive layer 1257 overlaps a mask, illustrating anotherexample mask 1246 that may be employed. In this example, the mask may beformed from one or more layers of masking material (e.g., ink, dye,paint, a deposited coating, etc.). The mask 1246 may have a thicknessthat is less than about 10 microns, less than about 7 microns, less thanabout 5 microns, or another suitable thickness. The thin mask 1246 mayprovide opaque or visibility-blocking masking while reducing the extentto which overlapping materials and components (e.g., the coating 1257, adisplay stack) are deformed or deflected where they overlap the mask1246.

FIG. 12I illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a display layer1247 that may be used in a display stack. The display layer 1247 maycorrespond to or be embodiments of display layers 1236 (FIG. 12E), 1242(FIG. 12F), or other display layers described herein. The display layer1247 includes a display panel 1251, which may be or may include asubstrate and associated display components. For example, in the case ofan OLED display, the display panel 1251 may include anode layers,cathode layers, conductive layers, emissive layers, etc. Anencapsulation layer 1249 may be positioned over the display panel 1251.The encapsulation layer 1249 may encapsulate or otherwise cover at leastone side of the display panel 1251, and may protect the display panel1251. The encapsulation layer 1249 may be formed from a polymermaterial, and may be applied to the display panel 1251 using an ink jetprinting technique, or another suitable deposition process.

FIG. 12I illustrates a portion of the display layer 1247 where a hole1248 may be formed, such as to accommodate an optical component of afront-facing sensor region (e.g., a front-facing camera, an opticalemitter and/or receiver of a facial recognition system, or the like).Where the hole 1248 is formed through the display panel 1251, theencapsulation layer 1249 may define an angled or tapered surface 1250,where the material of the encapsulation layer 1249 ends. In some cases,this tapered surface 1250 may contribute to irregularities in the layersof a display stack above the display layer 1247. For example, apolarizer layer (e.g., the polarizers 1234, 1240, FIGS. 12E, 12F) thatis positioned above the display layer 1247 may deform or deflectdownwards where it overlaps the tapered surface 1250. This deflection ordeformation of the polarizer layer may produce an irregular or distortedvisual appearance of the display in the area near the hole.

FIG. 12J illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of another exampledisplay layer 1252 that may be used in a display stack. The displaylayer 1252 may correspond to or be embodiments of display layers 1236(FIG. 12E), 1242 (FIG. 12F), or other display layers described herein.The display layer 1252 includes a display panel 1256, which may be ormay include a substrate and associated display components. For example,in the case of an OLED display, the display panel 1256 may include anodelayers, cathode layers, conductive layers, emissive layers, etc. A firstencapsulation layer 1253 may be positioned over the display panel 1256.The first encapsulation layer 1253 may encapsulate or otherwise cover atleast one side of the display panel 1256, and may protect the displaypanel 1256. The first encapsulation layer 1253 may be formed from apolymer material, and may be applied to the display panel 1256 using anink jet printing technique, or another suitable deposition process.

The display layer 1252 also includes a second encapsulation layer 1254.The second encapsulation layer 1254 may be formed of the same materialor a different material than the first encapsulation layer 1253 (and maybe formed using the same or a different process). The secondencapsulation layer 1254 may be formed after the first encapsulationlayer 1253 is formed. For example, the first encapsulation layer 1253may be applied to the display panel 1256 (including defining an angledor tapered surface proximate the hole in the display panel 1256), andthe second encapsulation layer 1253 may be applied over the top of thefirst encapsulation layer 1253, and may fill in the hole, as shown inFIG. 12I. After the second encapsulation layer 1253 is formed, a hole1255 may be formed through the second encapsulation layer, aligned withthe hole in the display panel 1256, to form the hole 1255 through thedisplay layer 1252 that accommodates an optical component of afront-facing sensor array.

The second encapsulation layer 1254 may define a substantially planarsurface along the top of the display layer 1252, even over the angled ortapered surface defined by the first encapsulation layer 1253 and overthe hole formed through the display panel 1256. The planar top surfaceof the display layer 1252 may reduce or eliminate deformation and/ordeflection of overlying layers in a display stack, especially around thehole 1255. In particular, a layer positioned on top of the display layer1252 (e.g., an adhesive layer, polarizer layer, etc.) will be resting ona uniformly flat surface, instead of a surface that includes a sloping,tapered, or angled surface proximate the hole in the display.Accordingly, the overlying layers may deform or deflect less (or not atall) in the area around the holes through the display. In some cases,the second encapsulation layer 1254 may be referred to as aplanarization layer, as it can define a substantially planar uppersurface of the display layer 1252 (while conforming to non-planarregions or portions of the first encapsulation layer 1253), and mayimprove the planarity of the surface as compared to the firstencapsulation layer 1253 alone.

FIGS. 13A-13F illustrate example touch-sensing operations of thefront-facing sensor region 1002 of the device 1000. FIGS. 13A-13Fillustrate touch-sensing operations with respect to the example device1000, though it will be understood that the touch-sensing operations mayapply equally to other devices with front-facing sensor regions asdescribed herein.

FIG. 13A illustrates a touch input 1301 applied to a first region of thefront-facing sensor region 1002, such as a graphically inactive regionof the front-facing sensor region 1002 (e.g., where no graphical outputsare produced and/or where no display component is visible or can producevisible graphical outputs). The area of touch input 1301 may generallycorrespond to an area of contact between a user's finger and the coverof the device 1000. In some cases, the area of the touch input 1301corresponds to an area in which a threshold capacitive change isdetected (e.g., due to the presence of the user's finger), regardless ofwhether the user's finger is contacting the cover over the entire areaof the touch input 1301.

As shown in FIG. 13A, while the touch input 1301 is generally centeredon the optical emitter of the front-facing sensor region 1002 (e.g., ona graphically inactive portion of the front-facing sensor region 1002),a portion 1302 of the touch-sensitive region of the display may detectthe touch input 1301. The portion 1302 of the touch-sensitive region ofthe display corresponds to a portion inside the touch input 1301, andoptionally includes part of the extended touch-sensitive area of thefront-facing sensor region 1002 (e.g., the extended or supplementaltouch-sensitive areas 1203, 1213, 1223). In some cases, the extendedtouch-sensitive area facilitates the detection of touch inputs on thefront-facing sensor region 1002 by extending the touch-sensitive area ofthe display below the masked boundary of the front-facing sensor region1002. Stated another way, the boundary of the touch-sensitive surface ofthe device may be smaller than (e.g., inside) the visible boundary ofthe front-facing sensor region 1002. Accordingly, even though the touchinput 1301 may be generally centered over an area of the front-facingsensor region 1002 that lacks touch-sensitive components (e.g., over theoptical emitter 1008), the touch input may still be detected. Varioustechniques and structures for detecting touch inputs in the front-facingsensor region (even without directly underlying touch-sensitivecomponents) are described herein, including the extended or supplementaltouch-sensitive areas or patterns of conductive elements in the sensorregion, and may be used to detect the touch input 1301 or other touchinputs described herein.

FIG. 13B illustrates the device 1000 receiving a touch input 1303. Inthis case, the touch input 1303 is generally centered over the opticalreceiver 1006 (e.g., on a graphically inactive portion of thefront-facing sensor region 1002). Similar to FIG. 13A, while the touchinput 1303 is generally centered on the optical receiver (e.g., wherethe display stack is not touch sensitive), a portion 1304 of thetouch-sensitive region of the display may detect the touch input 1303.In this case, the portion 1304 may include the extended touch-sensitivearea of the front-facing sensor region 1002, as well as the supplementaldisplay region 1012. In particular, the supplemental display region 1012may be both touch-sensitive and graphically active, and as such candetect touch inputs that are applied to or proximate that region.

FIG. 13C illustrates the device 1000 receiving a touch input 1305. Inthis case, the touch input 1305 is generally centered over thefront-facing camera 1007 (e.g., on a graphically inactive portion of thefront-facing sensor region 1002). Similar to FIGS. 13A-13B, while thetouch input 1305 is generally centered on the front-facing camera 1007(e.g., where the display stack is not touch sensitive), a portion 1306of the touch-sensitive region of the display may detect the touch input1305. In this case, the portion 1306 may include the extendedtouch-sensitive area of the front-facing sensor region 1002, as well asthe supplemental display region 1012. In particular, the supplementaldisplay region 1012 may be both touch-sensitive and graphically active,and as such can detect touch inputs that are applied to or proximatethat region.

FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate example touch inputs applied to three differentregions of the front-facing sensor region, including a first touch inputapplied over a first optical component (e.g., the input 1303 over theoptical receiver 1006), a second touch input applied over a secondoptical component (e.g., the input 1305 over the front-facing camera1007), and a third input applied over another optical component (e.g.,the input 1301 over the optical emitter 1008). The device may performdifferent actions in response to detecting these inputs. For example,the device may perform a first action (e.g., display a notificationwindow) in response to the first input, and a second action (e.g.,display an application user interface) in response to the second input.Other actions are also contemplated.

FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate three example positions in the front-facingsensor region 1002 in which touch inputs may be applied and detected.However, these are merely examples, and the front-facing sensor region1002 may be configured to detect touch inputs applied to (e.g., centeredon) any location in the front-facing sensor region 1002, including onthe supplemental display region 1012, between the optical emitter 1008and the optical receiver 1006, or the like. In some cases, the devicemay detect multi-touch inputs applied to the front-facing sensor region1002 (e.g., two, three, of more fingers touching the front-facing sensorregion at the same time).

The front-facing sensor region 1002 may detect gesture inputs, asdescribed herein. FIG. 13D illustrates an example gesture input appliedto the front-facing sensor region 1002. In this example, the input isinitiated at touch location 1307, and includes a swipe gesture in whichthe user's finger or other implement slides along the surface of thefront cover in the front-facing sensor region 1002, as indicated byarrow 1308. The gesture may occur entirely within the front-facingsensor region 1002, or any portion of it may be outside the front-facingsensor region 1002 (e.g., it may start or end outside the front-facingsensor region). Additionally, while FIG. 13D illustrates a substantiallylinear horizontal gesture, other gestures may also be detected, such asvertical gestures, curved or non-linear gestures, multi-finger gestures,and the like. For example, the front-facing sensor region 1002 maydetect swipe input gestures along the front-facing sensor region 1002(e.g., horizontally or vertically).

Inputs detected at the front-facing sensor region 1002 may cause thedevice to perform certain operations, such as launching an application(e.g., a camera or image-capture application), locking or unlocking thedevice, launching an application or user interface associated with anotification, or the like. In some cases, the operations that areinitiated by an input on the front-facing sensor region 1002 may beuser-selectable. In some cases, a user may map one or more differentinputs to one or more different device functions. For example, a usermay map a swipe in a right-to-left direction to a device unlockfunction, a swipe in a left-to-right direction to a device lockfunction, a tap in a first location (e.g., over the optical emitter1008) to an “answer call” function, and a tap in a second location(e.g., over the front-facing camera 1007) to a “decline call” function.Other functions, other touch inputs, and other mappings therebetween arealso contemplated.

FIGS. 13A-13C show various features and components of the front-facingsensor region 1002, such as the optical emitter 1008, optical receiver1006, front-facing camera 1007, and certain borders and boundaries.These features and components are not necessarily visible when thedevice 1000 is viewed from the front. For example, as described herein,masking layers (e.g., the mask 1138 in FIG. 11A), optical coatings(e.g., the coating 1160, FIG. 11B), and the like, may produce afront-facing sensor region that appears to be a substantially uniformpill-shaped area (as generally depicted in FIG. 13D), optionally with avisible hole or opening for at least the front-facing camera 1007.

In some cases, as described herein, the front-facing sensor region 1002includes both input and output functionality (in addition to the opticaland/or sensor functionality of the front-facing sensor region). FIGS.13E-13F illustrate an example operation in which a visual output isprovided in the front-facing sensor region 1002, and a touch-based inputcauses the device to take an action (which may be related to the visualoutput). For example, FIG. 13E illustrates the device 1000 displaying agraphical output 1309 in the front-facing sensor region 1002. Thegraphical output 1309 may be produced by a portion of the display (e.g.,by a supplemental display region in the front-facing sensor region 1002,such as the supplemental display regions 1208, 1218 in FIGS. 12A-12B).More particularly, a portion of the display may extend between the holefor the front-facing camera 1007 and the hole for the optical receiver1006 (or the optical emitter 1008, or another component). That portionof the display may produce a graphical output 1309, such as a dot (asshown), an image, an icon, or the like. The graphical output 1309 may beproduced in response to a detection of a notification event at thedevice 1000. Example notification events may include, withoutlimitation, incoming calls (e.g., voice, video), incoming messages(e.g., text messages, email messages), incoming notifications fromapplications on the device, calendar notifications, task notifications,alarms, timers, and alerts. When the notification event is detected, thegraphical output 1309 may be produced, thereby alerting the user to theoccurrence of the notification event.

The portion of the display that displays the graphical output 1309 maybe graphically inactive except for displaying graphical outputs relatedto even notifications. For example, the supplemental display region maybe excluded from the main display region of the display. Stated anotherway, the supplemental display region may be inactive, even when the maindisplay region of the display is active, but may be used to temporarilyproduce graphical outputs in response to intermittent event occurrences.Thus, when a notification of an event is received, a main display regionmay be outputting a first graphical output and the supplemental displayregion may be inactive or may be displaying some other graphical outputthat is not contiguous with or part of the graphical output on the maindisplay region. In response to detection of the event, the supplementaldisplay region outputs a second graphical output (e.g., the graphicaloutput 1309). In some cases, different graphical outputs are produced inthe supplemental display region at different times and for differentpurposes. For example, a dot may be displayed in response to one type ofevent (e.g., an incoming text message), and an icon may be displayed inresponse to a second type of event (e.g., an incoming email). Multiplegraphical outputs may also be displayed in the supplemental displayregion at the same time (e.g., an email icon indicating the presence ofa new email message, and a phone icon indicating a missed call).

The front-facing sensor region 1002 may also receive a touch input, asdescribed herein. For example, FIG. 13E illustrates a touch input 1310applied to the front-facing sensor region 1002. The response of thedevice 1000 to the touch input 1310 may depend on the particular eventthat caused the graphical output 1309 to be outputted. For example, ifthe graphical output 1309 was produced as a result of detecting anincoming email message, the touch input 1310 may cause the device todisplay or initiate an email application; if the graphical output wasproduced as a result of detecting an incoming text message, the touchinput 1310 may cause the device to display or initiate a text messageapplication. In some cases, the touch input 1310 may produce the sameresponse regardless of the triggering event. For example, the touchinput 1310 may cause the device to display a notification list or otherinterface. The front-facing sensor region 1002 may be responsive to thetouch input 1310 (or other touch inputs) only when a notification isactive (e.g., when the graphical output 1309 or another graphic isdisplayed), or regardless of whether a graphical output is beingdisplayed.

FIG. 13F illustrates an example graphical output 1312 that may bedisplayed in response to the touch input 1310 in a main region 1311(FIG. 13E) of the display (e.g., a region of the display outside thesupplemental display region). As shown, the graphical output 1312 may bea notification window, list, or other graphical object, which mayinclude information about one or more event notifications, such as theparticular event notification that initiated the display of thegraphical output 1309. As noted above, in some cases, the notificationwindow is displayed in response to the touch input 1310 only when thenotification graphical output 1309 is active, or any time the touchinput 1310 is received (regardless of the status of a notificationgraphical output).

FIG. 14A is a partial cross-sectional view of a device 1400, viewedalong a line corresponding to the line 14A-14A in FIG. 1A. The device1400 may correspond to or be an embodiment of the devices 100, 140, 200,300, 400 or any other device described herein. FIG. 14A illustrates aportion of an example front-facing camera 1403, which may be part of afront-facing sensor region as described herein. The front-facing camera1403 may correspond to the front facing camera 1007, or any otherfront-facing camera described herein. The camera 1403 may be anautofocus camera, such that a lens assembly 1405 (or a portion thereof)may move within the camera housing 1404 (e.g., vertically, as orientedin FIG. 14A).

A display stack 1401 that is coupled to an interior surface of a frontcover 1406 may define a hole, and the camera 1403 may extend through thehole or otherwise be positioned below the hole, thereby allowing thecamera 1403 access to the front cover 1406. The camera housing 1404 maybe coupled to the interior surface of the front cover 1406 via alight-blocking structure 1402. The light-blocking structure 1402 may bea ring-like structure, and may be adhered to either or both the interiorsurface of the front cover 1406 or the camera housing 1404. In somecases, the light-blocking structure 1402 may be or may include acompliant material, such as a foam, that forms an intimate (e.g.,light-blocking) contact with the interior surface of the front cover1406 and the camera housing 1404. The light-blocking structure 1402 maybe configured to prevent or inhibit ingress of light (e.g., light thatexits the display stack 1401 from the edges that define the hole) intothe camera housing 1404. The light-blocking structure 1402 may alsoprevent or inhibit ingress of dust or other contaminants in to thecamera housing 1404.

FIG. 14B is a partial cross-sectional view of a device 1430, viewedalong a line corresponding to the line 14A-14A in FIG. 1A. The device1430 may correspond to or be an embodiment of the devices 100, 140, 200,300, 400, or any other device described herein. FIG. 14B illustrates aportion of an example front-facing camera 1407, which may be part of afront-facing sensor region as described herein. The front-facing camera1407 may correspond to the front facing camera 1007, or any otherfront-facing camera described herein. The camera 1407 may be anautofocus camera, such that a lens assembly (or a portion thereof) maymove within the camera housing 1411 (e.g., vertically, as oriented inFIG. 14B).

As shown in FIG. 14B, the camera housing 1411 is coupled to a bracket1416. The bracket 1416 may be a bracket to which multiple components ofa front-facing sensor array may be attached, including for example anoptical emitter and an optical receiver. The bracket 1416 may correspondto or be an embodiment of the bracket 1145 in FIG. 11A. The bracket 1416may be coupled to a front cover assembly of a device. For example, thebracket 1416 may be coupled to a support layer 1408 (e.g., a metal orpolymer sheet that defines an interior surface of the front coverassembly and/or a display stack). A compliant structure 1410 may bepositioned between the bracket 1416 and the support layer 1408, and maydefine a seal between the bracket 1416 and the support layer 1408. Theseal may prevent or inhibit ingress of dust or other contaminants intothe camera housing 1411, where it could interfere with the camera (e.g.,the lens, sensor, etc.). The compliant structure 1410 may be formed fromor include a foam, compliant polymer, or the like. In some cases, thecompliant structure 1410 includes or is coupled to the bracket 1416and/or the support layer 1408 via an adhesive, such as a PSA, liquidadhesive, or the like.

In some cases, as described herein, a light-blocking structure 1418 maybe positioned on an edge of a display 1432. The light-blocking structure1418 may block or inhibit light from leaking from the edge of thedisplay 1432 (e.g., the edge of the display 1432 that defines the holethrough which the camera 1407 captures images) and interfering with thecamera (e.g., degrading image quality, degrading focusing or other imagecapture operations, etc.). The light-blocking structure 1418 may alsoconductively couple a coating applied to the front cover 1431 to thesupport layer 1408 of the front cover assembly, as described herein.

The bracket 1416 may include a frame portion 1433, which may be formedfrom or include metal (e.g., a stamped metal structure), polymer, or thelike. The bracket 1416 may also define a surround structure 1415 that iscoupled to the frame portion 1433 and at least partially, and optionallycompletely, surrounds the opening in the frame portion 1433 thataccommodates the camera 1407 (e.g., the hole through which the lensassembly extends). The surround structure 1415 may provide severalfunctions. For example, the surround structure 1415 may define anoverhang 1434 that extends below the lower surface of the frame portion1433 to define a barrier or dam between the frame portion 1433 and thecamera housing 1411. More particularly, the camera housing 1411 may bepositioned against the overhang 1434, and an adhesive 1414 may beintroduced into a space defined between the frame portion 1433 and thecamera housing 1411. The surround structure 1415 defines a barrier ordam that prevents or inhibits the adhesive 1414 (e.g., a liquidadhesive) from flowing into the interior of the camera 1407.

The surround structure 1415 may also inhibit the visibility of internalcomponents through the front cover 1431. For example, internalcomponents of the device may be exposed to view when the device isviewed at certain angles, as illustrated by the example line 1412. Thesurround structure 1415 may cover components that might otherwise bevisually distinguishable, such as the frame portion 1433 (e.g., the endof the frame portion 1433). In some cases, the surround structure 1415is also large enough to cover or occlude other components that mightotherwise be visible, such as the top of the camera housing 1411, thecompliant structure 1410, etc. The edges of the frame portion 1433 maybe recessed relative to the surround structure 1415, as shown, such thatthe surround structure 1415 also occludes the top of the frame portion1433 and prevents the top or edges of the frame portion 1433 from beingvisible (e.g., along line 1412).

The surround structure 1415 may be formed from a polymer material thatis molded to the frame portion 1433 (e.g., via insert molding). Thesurround structure 1415 may be coupled to the frame portion 1433 via aninterlocking structure (as shown), which may be formed during a moldingprocess (e.g., insert molding) in which the material for the surroundstructure 1415 is introduced into a mold and caused to conform to aninterlock structure defined by the frame portion 1433.

The surround structure 1415 may have properties that inhibit lightreflection or are otherwise configured to reduce the visibility of thesurround structure 1415 through the front cover 1431. For example, thesurround structure 1415 may have a dark (e.g., black) color, which mayreduce the extent to which the surround structure 1415 is visuallydistinguishable through the front cover 1431. The surround structure1415 may also have a textured surface or otherwise be treated to producediffuse reflections with low visibility through the front cover 1431.The textured surface may be formed by molding (e.g., the mold surfacethat defines the shape of the surround structure 1415 may define thesurface texture), machining, etching, or any other suitable process.

The surround structure 1415 may be a monolithic structure, such as asingle piece of polymer, and surface treatments, such as a surfacetexture, may be formed in the surface of the monolithic structure. Insome cases, the surround structure 1415 may include multiple structures,components, or materials, such as a polymer base structure and a coating(e.g., a paint, dye, ink, film, deposition layer, etc.) that defines atleast part of the exposed exterior surface of the surround structure1415.

FIG. 14C illustrates a detail view of area 14C-14C in FIG. 14B,illustrating an example light-blocking structure 1418 positioned on anedge of the display 1432. As described herein, a front cover may includeopaque masks that define borders around the holes where front-facingoptical components are positioned. FIG. 14C illustrates an exampleopaque mask 1422, which may correspond to or be an embodiment of themask 1139 in FIG. 11A. As shown in FIG. 14C, the light-blockingstructure 1418 contacts the opaque mask 1422, covers the edge of thedisplay 1432, and contacts a support layer 1420. The support layer 1420may be a metal plate, sheet, or layer that is positioned along theunderside of the display. The support layer 1420 may correspond to or bean embodiment of the support layer 1408, or it may be a differentcomponent. The light-blocking structure 1418 may block light from theedges of the display 1432 from entering into the camera or otherwiseleaking out from the edge of the display. The light-blocking structure1418 may be formed from or include an opaque and/or light absorbingmaterial, such as an ink, paint, polymer coating, or the like.

The light-blocking structure 1418 may also be formed from or include aconductive material, and may define a conductive path from the mask 1422to the support layer 1420. This conductive path may define a dischargepath for electrical charges that might otherwise accumulate on the mask1422. For example, without the discharge path defined by thelight-blocking structure 1418, electrical charges may accumulate on themask 1422, which may interfere with the function of the display (e.g.,graphical output functions, touch-sensing functions), or othercomponents of the system. Accordingly, the conductivity of thelight-blocking structure 1418 allows the light-blocking structure 1418to perform multiple functions, including blocking light from the displayand mitigating or eliminating electrical charge accumulation on the mask1422. The conductivity of the light-blocking structure 1418 may beachieved in various ways. For example, the light-blocking structure 1418may be formed from a conductive ink, a deposited metal or otherconductive layer, or the like.

FIG. 14D illustrates another example light-blocking structure 1440 thatmay be used to block light from the edge of the display 1432 and definea discharge path from the mask 1422. As shown in FIG. 14C, thelight-blocking structure 1418 is a unitary structure (e.g., a singlelayer or deposition of ink). The light-blocking structure 1418 may beformed by a single deposition process of an ink or other material. Inthe example of FIG. 14D, the light-blocking structure 1440 may includemultiple portions or segments, including a first portion 1441 thatcontacts the mask 1422 and blocks the edge of the display 1432, and asecond portion 1435 that contacts the first portion 1441 and the supportlayer 1420. The first and second portions 1441, 1435 may be conductiveto define a discharge path between the mask 1422 and the support layer1420, as described above. The first portion 1441 and the second portion1435 may be formed from or include an opaque and/or light absorbingmaterial, such as an ink, paint, polymer coating, or the like. The firstand second portions 1441, 1435 may be formed from the same or differentmaterials (e.g., the same or different conductive inks), and may bedeposited in two separate deposition operations (e.g., two passes of adeposition nozzle). In some cases, the first and second portions 1441,1435 have different optical or visual properties. For example, the firstportion 1441 may be opaque and/or light absorbing, and the secondportion 1435 may be more optically transmissive (e.g., because thesecond portion 1435 does not necessarily serve a light-blockingfunction).

FIG. 14E illustrates another example light-blocking structure 1436 thatmay be used to block light from the edge of the display 1432. In thisexample, the light-blocking structure 1436 may cover the edge of thedisplay 1432, but does not contact the support layer 1420. In thisexample, a discharge path from the mask 1422 may be omitted, or adifferent discharge path may be provided. The light-blocking structure1436 may be formed from or include an opaque and/or light absorbingmaterial, such as an ink, paint, polymer coating, or the like

Devices as described herein include audio ports, such as speaker ports(also referred to as receiver ports) positioned so as to direct soundinto a user's ear when the device (e.g., phone) is held near the user'shead, such as during a telephone call. FIGS. 15A-15F illustrate exampleconfigurations and components of a speaker port as described herein.

FIG. 15A illustrates a partial view of a device 1500 corresponding toarea 15A-15A in FIG. 1A, with components (e.g., a cover) removed. Thedevice 1500 may correspond to or be an embodiment of the device 100,140, 200, 300, 400, or any other device described herein.

In some cases, a cover may define a notch 1507 (or recess) along an edgeof the cover, shown in FIG. 15A as a dotted line (illustrating theposition of the notch in the cover). The notch 1507, along with ahousing component 1503 that defines a side exterior surface of thedevice 1500, may define a void 1559 (FIG. 15B) that is part of an audiopassage for a device speaker. The void 1559 may be an open cavitydefined by the notch 1507 and the housing component 1503, and may bebounded by a set of four sides, three of which are defined by the cover(as illustrated by the notch 1507), and one of which is defined by aninner surface of the housing component 1503, as shown in FIG. 15A. Asfurther illustrated in FIG. 15B, the void 1559 may also be positionedbetween a portion 1558 of the housing component 1503 that defines aportion of a front surface of the device, and a portion of the cover1501 that defines another portion of the front surface of the device. Asdescribed herein, the void 1559 defines an end portion or opening of theaudio passage that transmits audio output from a speaker assemblythrough the device and to the exterior of the device.

As shown in FIG. 15A, the device 1500 includes a grate element 1504positioned in the audio passage from a speaker within the device 1500 tothe speaker port of the device (e.g., the speaker port 1526 in FIG. 15A,which may correspond to the speaker port 110 in FIG. 1A). The grateelement 1504 may be positioned over an opening that defines part of theaudio passage. The grate element 1504 may define a base portion 1509 anda flange portion 1505. The base portion 1509 may be positioned over theopening of the audio passage and may define an array of openings, suchas openings (or slits) 1510 and 1512, therethrough. The grate element1504 may define an outward-facing surface (e.g., the surface visible inFIG. 15A, and shown as a top or upper surface in FIG. 15B). Theoutward-facing surface of the grate element 1504 may be offset from thefront exterior surface 1557 of the cover 1501 by a distance that isgreater than the thickness of the cover 1501. Thus, the outward-facingsurface of the grate element 1504 is below the bottom or interiorsurface of the cover 1501 (e.g., it is not within the void 1559 definedbetween the notch 1507 and the housing component 1503).

The openings 1510, 1512, which may also be referred to as acousticpassages, may be configured to allow sound to pass through the grateelement 1504. For example, sound output from an internal speaker maypass through the openings 1510, 1512 and exit the device via the speakerport 1526. In some cases, a microphone may be positioned within thedevice and receive sound through the speaker port 1526. In which case,sound from outside the device 1500 may reach the microphone through theopenings 1510, 1512.

The grate element 1504 may be configured to inhibit the ingress ofdebris (e.g., dirt, sand, lint, etc.) into the device, while allowingsound to pass through. The openings 1510, 1512 may be elongated openingspositioned along a length of the grate element 1504, as shown in FIG.15A. The openings 1510, 1512 may be smaller than a target size. Forexample, the openings 1510, 1512 may have widths ranging from about 0.1mm to about 0.5 mm. In some cases, the openings 1510, 1512 have widthssmaller than about 0.5 mm. In some cases, each opening of the array ofopenings has an elongated shape with a length at least twice the width.

The openings 1510, 1512 may also have different sizes, based on the sizeof the opening in the audio passage where the grate element 1504 islocated. For example, where the opening in the audio passage is smaller,the openings in the grate element may have a length that is less thanthe length of the grate openings where the audio passage is larger. Insome cases, the smaller openings 1512 and the larger openings 1510 mayboth resemble pill-shaped holes, with the larger openings 1510 having agreater length than the smaller openings 1512. In some cases, theopenings 1512 may be circular holes, and the openings 1510 may bepill-shaped holes. In some cases, an acoustic screen or mesh may coverthe openings 1510, 1512 to further inhibit ingress of contaminants.Additional openings of different sizes and/or shapes may also beincluded (e.g., pill-shaped openings smaller than the openings 1510 butlarger than the openings 1512).

The grate element 1504 may be molded from a polymer material. Thus, theopenings 1510, 1512 may be defined by the molded polymer material,rather than a mesh, fabric, screen, or the like.

The grate element 1504 may be secured to the device via fasteners,welds, heat stakes, or the like. FIG. 15A illustrates example interlockstructures 1506 used to secure the grate element 1504 to the device1500. The interlock structures 1506 may be polymer rivet-like structuresthat extend through openings in the grate element 1504 and are deformedalong the top of the grate element 1504 to secure the grate element 1504to the housing. In other examples, the interlock structures 1506 may beweldments, screws, bolts, or the like. Adhesives may also be usedinstead of or in addition to interlock structures.

FIG. 15B illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the device 1500,viewed along line 15B-15B in FIG. 15A. FIG. 15B also includes componentsthat were omitted from FIG. 15A for clarity, such as a cover 1501,display stack 1516, display frame 1518, and adhesives 1520, 1522.

As shown in FIG. 15B, the flange portion 1505 of the grate element 1504may be attached to a housing component 1503 of the device 1500 (e.g.,with adhesive 1514). The base portion 1509 may be positioned over anopening 1523 of an audio passage 1525. A speaker assembly and/ormicrophone may be acoustically coupled to the audio passage 1525,thereby sending and/or receiving sound through grate element 1504 andthe audio passage 1525. The opening 1523 and the audio passage 1525 maybe formed through a portion of the housing of the device 1500. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 15B, the housing may include or define asupport structure 1524. The support structure 1524 may be a separatematerial or structure from the housing component 1503 (as shown), or itmay be unitary with the housing component 1503 (e.g., machined orotherwise formed from a single piece of material). In some cases, thesupport structure 1524 may be a polymer material that is molded againstand secured to the housing component 1503 (e.g., via mechanicalinterlocking, adhesive bonds, etc.).

As described herein, the speaker port 1526 may be defined on at leastone side by the housing component 1503, and on at least one other sideby a cover 1501 (e.g., by three sides of a notch 1507 in the cover). Asnoted above, the speaker port 1526 (and the void 1559) may be definedbetween a portion 1558 of the housing component 1503 that defines aportion of a front surface of the device, and a portion of the cover1501 that defines another portion of the front surface of the device.

In order to provide a greater area for the display 1516 (e.g., to allowthe use of a larger display 1516), the speaker port 1526 may bepositioned further towards the housing component 1503 than the audiopassage 1525. This may result in the audio passage 1525 having a jogbetween an upper portion 1515 and a lower portion (e.g., indicated byelement number 1525). The configuration of the grate element 1504accounts for the jog in the audio passage. For example, the “L” shape ofthe grate element 1504 allows the flange portion 1505 to be attached toan inner surface of the housing component 1503 (e.g., via adhesive1514), while the base portion 1509 rests on and may be secured to thesupport structure 1524 (e.g., on an internal shelf defined by thesupport structure 1524 and offset inward from the front exterior surfaceof the device, as shown in FIG. 15B) and covers the opening 1523.Because the flange portion 1505 extends upwards from the base portion1509, the flange portion 1505 may cover the inner surface of the housingcomponent 1503 and occlude the surface from visibility through thespeaker port 1526. In some cases, the flange portion 1505 may be formedfrom a dark (e.g., black) material or otherwise have a dark coloring tolimit visibility into the internals of the device 1500. In some cases,the grate element 1504 is a unitary polymer structure having aconsistent color. The grate element 1504 may define a surface texturethat is configured to diffusely reflect light or otherwise reduce thevisibility of and/or reflections from the grate element 1504.

FIG. 15C illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of another exampledevice 1530, generally corresponding to a view along line 15B-15B inFIG. 15A, illustrating another example configuration of a speaker port1533. In this example, a hole is formed in a housing component 1532,defining a void 1554. A front cover 1531 is positioned along a side ofthe housing component 1532. In some cases, the housing component 1532defines a protruding feature in which the hole is formed, and the frontcover 1531 may define a notch or recess that accommodates the protrudingfeature.

An acoustic cover 1539 may be positioned below the void 1554. Theacoustic cover 1539 may be configured to inhibit the ingress of debris(e.g., dirt, sand, lint, etc.) into the device (e.g., into an audiopassage 1534), while allowing sound to pass through. The acoustic cover1539 may be attached to the housing component 1532 at multiplelocations. For example, an upper portion 1538 of the acoustic cover 1539may be attached to an interior surface 1537 of the housing component1532 (e.g., a surface parallel to the front surface of the front cover1531), and a side portion 1535 of the acoustic cover 1539 may be coupledto an interior side surface 1536 of the housing component 1532 (e.g., asurface perpendicular or otherwise not parallel to the front surface ofthe front cover 1531). The acoustic cover 1539 may be attached to thehousing component 1532 at these locations via adhesive, fusion bonding(e.g., welding, soldering, brazing), fasteners (e.g., screws), or thelike.

The acoustic cover 1539 may be or may include an acoustic mesh. Theacoustic mesh may be a metal mesh or a polymer mesh, or another suitabletype of mesh. In the case of a metal mesh, the mesh may be welded to thesurfaces 1536, 1537 of the housing component 1532.

FIG. 15D illustrates an example acoustic cover structure 1540 that maybe included in a device to inhibit ingress of debris into the devicethrough an audio passage, while allowing sound to pass through to theexternal environment. The acoustic cover structure 1540 may include aframe structure 1541 (e.g., a molded element) and an acoustic cover 1542(e.g., an acoustic mesh, screen, grate, or the like). FIG. 15Eillustrates the acoustic cover structure 1540 positioned in a device.The acoustic cover structure 1540 may be coupled to a housing component1545, and may be positioned below a void 1544 that defines the end ofthe acoustic passage through the device. Similar to the discussion abovewith respect to FIGS. 15A-15B, the void 1544 may be defined between afront cover 1543 (e.g., by a notch or recess defined along a side oredge of the front cover 1543) and a side of the housing component 1545.In some cases, the acoustic cover structure 1540 may be positioned belowa portion 1547 of an audio passage that is defined by the housingcomponent 1545 and a support structure 1546 (e.g., a polymer materialthat is molded against and secured to the housing component and thatoptionally mechanically couples different housing components together).A speaker assembly may be coupled to the acoustic cover structure 1540along an inner surface 1548 of the acoustic cover structure to directsound through the acoustic cover structure 1540 and though the void1544.

FIG. 15F illustrates an example acoustic cover structure 1550 that maybe used to inhibit ingress of debris into the device through an audiopassage, while allowing sound to pass through to the externalenvironment. The acoustic cover structure 1550 may be used in the device1500 as an alternative to the grate element 1504. The acoustic coverstructure 1550 may include a frame including a flange portion 1551 and amesh retention portion 1552 (e.g., a molded element). The flange portion1551 and the mesh retention portion 1552 may be a unitary polymerstructure. The acoustic cover structure 1550 may also include a screenmesh 1553 coupled to the frame (e.g., to the mesh retention portion1552). The screen mesh 1553 may be coupled to the mesh retention portionby an insert molding process, in which the screen mesh 1553 ispositioned in a mold cavity, and a polymer material is introduced intothe cavity to form the frame and overmold over (e.g., at least partiallyencapsulate) an edge portion of the screen mesh 1553 to secure thescreen mesh 1553 to the frame. The flange portion 1551 may be attachedto an inner surface of a housing component (e.g., the housing component1503) via an adhesive (e.g., the adhesive 1514, FIG. 15B), while themesh retention portion and/or the screen mesh 1553 rests on (and may besecured to) a support structure, similar to the configuration of thegrate element 1504 shown in FIG. 15B. In some cases, the screen mesh1553 may be a perforated metal sheet or plate, a metal or other materialmesh, or another suitable structure for inhibiting debris while passingsound. The screen mesh 1553 may define an array of perforations, eachperforation having a diameter ranging between 100 microns and 200microns.

As noted above, the devices described herein may include a flash (e.g.,a light source) that is configured to illuminate a scene to facilitatecapturing images with one or more cameras of the electronic device. Theflash, also referred to as a flash module or more broadly a lightsource, may include one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) thatproduce the light to illuminate the scene. The flash module may be partof or positioned proximate a sensor array to facilitate illumination ofscenes for flash photography.

As described herein, devices may include rear-facing sensor arrays thatinclude multiple cameras (e.g., a camera array), each having a differentfield of view. In order to illuminate the fields of view of each camera,a single flash may illuminate a field of view that corresponds to thecamera having the largest (e.g., widest) field of view. In some cases,in order to more closely pair the field of view of a camera to the fieldof view that a flash illuminates, a light emitting component may beconfigured to illuminate different fields of view, depending on theparticular camera that is in use. FIG. 16A illustrates an example flash1650 that includes a segmented light emitting component 1652 that canilluminate different subsets of its illuminable regions to illuminatedifferent fields of view. Further, the flash 1650 includes a flash lens1651 positioned over the light emitting component 1652 that isconfigured to refract the light emitted by the segments of lightemitting component 1652 to illuminate a target field of view.

For example, when a camera with the narrowest field of view is in use,the light emitting component 1652 may illuminate a segment (or segments)that illuminate a first field of view 1656 that corresponds to (e.g.,illuminates all or substantially all) of the field of view of thecamera. When a camera with a wider field of view is in use, the lightemitting component 1652 may illuminate a segment (or segments) thatilluminate a second field of view 1655 that corresponds to (e.g.,illuminates all or substantially all) of the field of view of the widercamera. FIG. 16A illustrates a first example light pattern 1654, showinghow a first portion of the flash lens 1651 (e.g., a central portion)refracts the light to illuminate the first field of view 1656, and asecond example light pattern 1653, showing how a second portion of theflash lens 1651 (e.g., a peripheral portion) refracts the light toilluminate the second field of view 1655. More particularly, theposition of the illuminated segments and the configuration of the lenscan refract or otherwise project the light along a different angle,thereby illuminating a different (e.g., wider) field of view. Forsimplicity, FIG. 16A only shows one peripheral segment illuminating theentire second field of view 1655, though it will be understood thatmultiple segments may be used to illuminate the second field of view1655. Further, it will be understood that the light emitting component1652 can illuminate different segments to illuminate additional fieldsof view (e.g., a third field of view, a fourth field of view, etc.).

Flashes with segmented light emitting components and non-segmented lightemitting components may be used with the devices described herein, andexamples of each are shown and described with respect to FIGS. 16B-17F.

FIG. 16B illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of a flash module1604 in a device 1600, viewed along a line corresponding to line 16B-16Bin FIG. 1B. The flash module 1604 may correspond to or be an embodimentof the flashes 148, 136, or any other flash described herein, and thedevice 1600 may correspond to or be an embodiment of the devices 100,140, 200, 300, 400, or any other device described herein.

The flash module 1604 includes a flash body 1606. The flash body 1606may be positioned in a hole formed through a cover 1602 (e.g., a rearcover of the device, such as the rear cover 132). A sealing member 1608may be positioned between the flash body 1606 and the inner surface ofthe hole to inhibit ingress of liquid and/or other contaminants into thedevice.

The flash body 1606 may include a first portion 1610 and a secondportion 1612. The first and second portions 1610, 1612 may havedifferent optical and/or other properties. For example, the firstportion 1610 may be transparent, while the second portion 1612 may beopaque (or otherwise less optically transmissive than the first portion1610). The opaque second portion 1612 may be configured to impede orinhibit the visibility of internal components to users of the device. Insome cases, flash body 1606 is formed by a multi-shot molding process,in which a transparent polymer (e.g., a polycarbonate) is injected intoa mold to form the first portion 1610, and an opaque polymer (e.g., apolycarbonate) is injected into the mold to form the second portion1612. In such cases, the first and second portions are differentportions of a monolithic polymer structure. In some cases, the samepolymer composition is used for the first and second portions, with thesecond portion having an additional component to make it opaque.

The flash body 1606 also defines a window portion 1624, which may extendover a lens 1618 of the flash module 1604 and may be separated from thelens 1618 by an air gap. The window portion 1624 may include featuressuch as ridges along an inner surface of the window portion 1624, asdescribed with reference to FIG. 18 .

The flash module 1604 includes a lens 1618 and a light emittingstructure 1616. The light emitting structure 1616 may include one ormore light emitting diodes (LEDs), or other light emitting components.As described herein, the light emitting structure 1616 may include asingle illuminable element that produces a single illumination pattern(e.g., field of illumination) when activated. In other cases, the lightemitting structure 1616 may be configured to produce multipleillumination patterns, such as by illuminating different illuminableregions of the light emitting structure 1616. Where the light emittingstructure 1616 is configured to produce multiple illumination patterns,the light emitting structure may include a multi-segment LED, asdescribed with respect to FIGS. 16A and 17A-17F. The light emittingstructure 1616 may be coupled to a circuit board 1614 or othersubstrate.

In one example in which the flash module 1604 is incorporated into thedevice 100 or the device 200, the light emitting structure 1616 mayinclude a multi-segment LED. In another example in which the flashmodule 1604 is incorporated into the device 140, the device 300, or thedevice 400, the light emitting structure 1616 may include asingle-segment LED (or another light emitting component that is notconfigured to produce multiple different fields of illumination).

The lens 1618 is configured to project light emitted by a light emittingcomponent of the light emitting structure 1616 to produce a flood oflight corresponding to a field of view of a rear-facing camera. The lens1618 may include a flash-directing region 1620 and a support region1622. The flash-directing region 1620 may have a shape (e.g., a biconvexshape) that is configured to transmit, through the window portion 1624,light from the light emitting component to illuminate a field of view ofthe camera. The support region 1622 may be configured to structurallycouple and support the lens 1618 in the flash module 1604. The lens 1618may be formed of a single piece of material (e.g., a single piece ofglass, polycarbonate, crystal, or other suitable material) that definesthe flash-directing region 1620 and the support region 1622. The supportregion 1622 may be secured to the flash body 1606 and to the circuitboard 1614 or other substrate.

With reference to FIG. 16C, the flash-directing region 1620 and thesupport region 1622 may each be configured to refract or otherwisedirect light in a particular way. For example, the flash-directingregion 1620 may be configured to illuminate a particular field of view,using light from the light emitting structure 1616, to illuminate ascene for image capture. As one example, the field of illumination maybe equal to or greater than the field of view of the widest-angle cameralens of a device. In other cases, the lens is configured to produce adifferent field of illumination. FIG. 16C illustrates example rays 1626,1628 from the light emitting structure 1616 passing through theflash-directing region 1620 of the lens 1618 to illuminate a sceneaccording to a field of illumination as defined by the configuration ofthe light emitting structure 1616 and the flash-directing region 1620.

The support region 1622 may provide structural support for theflash-directing region 1620, supporting the flash-directing region 1620in a particular position within the flash module and relative to thelight emitting structure 1616. The support region 1622 may also beconfigured to have an optical effect on the appearance of the flashmodule 1604 from outside the device. In particular, the support region1622 may be configured to limit the visibility of surfaces andcomponents inside the flash module 1604. The support region 1622 mayhave a lensing effect such that light reflected from internal surfacesand components may be visible through the window portion 1624 of theflash module 1604. In some cases, these components or surfaces may haveirregular shapes and/or contrasting colors that are visible through thelens. Accordingly, the support region 1622 may be shaped to limit thevisibility of certain components and/or surfaces.

FIG. 16C illustrates example rays of light reflected from internalsurfaces or components of the flash module 1604, including a ray 1630reflected from an internal component 1621 (e.g., a circuit-board mountedcomponent), and a ray 1632 reflected from an internal surface 1623. Insome cases, the support region 1622 may be configured to eliminate orchange the path of ray 1630, such that the light reflected from theinternal component 1621 does not pass through the window portion 1624,and therefore is not visible to a user. For example, the support region1622 may be configured with a shape so that support region 1622transmits, through the window portion 1624, light reflected by the flashbody 1606 (e.g., light is reflected from the internal surface 1623 suchthat the internal surface 1623 is seen rather than an underlyingcomponent). The light reflected by the flash body, and thus transmittedthrough the window portion 1624, may be reflected by an opaque portionof the flash body 1606 (e.g., the second portion 1612).

The particular paths of the rays 1630 and 1632 are merely examples toillustrate how the support region 1622 may cause visibility of certainstructures and components of the flash module 1604, and are notnecessarily indicative of any particular preferred optical arrangementor outcome. For example, in some cases a support region 1622 may beconfigured so that neither the internal component 1621 nor the internalsurface 1623 are visible through the window portion 1624. As anotherexample, a support region 1622 may be configured so that only lightreflected from an internal surface 1623 is visible through the supportregion 1622 (e.g., thereby preventing the visibility of other internalcomponents). In such cases, the internal surface 1623 may have aparticular color or appearance (e.g., an opaque white appearance) inorder to produce a target appearance from outside the device.

The support region 1622 may also include coatings, textures, films,masks, or other treatments or features that define the visual appearanceof the flash module from the outside of the device. For example, thesupport region of the lens may define an outer surface facing the windowportion 1624 of the flash body 1606 and an inner surface opposite theouter surface, and a portion of at least one of the outer surface or theinner surface may have a textured surface. The textured surface mayfurther reduce the visibility of internal components (and/or the lensitself), such as by producing a diffuse reflection from the texturedsurface and/or prevent the lens from projecting the appearance ofinternal components. The textured surface may have a different surfacetexture than a surface defined by the flash-directing region of the lens(which may be polished or otherwise substantially free of surfacetexture).

As described above, a light emitting structure may be illuminable inmultiple different illumination patterns in order to produce differentfields of illumination. The different fields of illumination maycorrespond to or be used with different lenses (or different zoom levelsof a single lens) so that the field of illumination is substantially thesame as the field of view of the lens (or zoom level) being used. Statedanother way, the different fields of illumination allow a single flashmodule to provide flash coverage for multiple lenses/cameras ofdiffering focal length and field of view.

FIGS. 17A-17F illustrate aspects of an example flash module 1701 with alight emitting structure that is illuminable in multiple differentillumination patterns, as well as example fields of illuminationresulting from the different illumination patterns. As shown in FIG.17A, a light emitting structure 1700 may include multiple illuminableregions 1702, such as an array of illuminable regions 1702. In thisexample the light emitting structure 1700 includes a grid of nine squareilluminable regions 1702 of equal size, though this is merely oneexample arrangement. In some cases, the illuminable regions 1702 haveother sizes, shapes, and/or arrangements. For example, some of theilluminable regions 1702 may be rectangular, and may have a differentsize compared to other regions. The particular sizes, shapes, and/orarrangements of the illuminable regions 1702 may be selected inconjunction with the configuration of the flash lens in order toilluminate the target field of view (e.g., to produce the target fieldof illumination). In some cases, the central illuminable region 1702-1is the largest illuminable region of the light emitting structure 1700.

The illuminable regions may each correspond to a different LED, or theymay be segments of a single LED. In some cases, the illuminable regionscan be separately illuminated (e.g., an LED or segment of an LED canproduce or not produce light in response to an appropriate command orsignal). In other cases, different illumination patterns can be producedby selectively blocking light over a single light source (e.g., withfilters or other components above the light source that can beselectively switched from transparent to opaque).

FIG. 17A illustrates the light emitting structure 1700 while a centralilluminable region 1702-1 is illuminated (as indicated by the stipplepattern). The area 1704 provides an illustration of a comparative areaand/or outer perimeter location of the illumination pattern produced bythe central illuminable region 1702-1. For example, the resultingillumination pattern is relatively small as compared to the illuminationpatterns as illustrated by areas 1706 and 1708 in FIGS. 17C and 17E.

FIG. 17B illustrates an example cross-sectional view of the flash module1701 while the central illuminable region 1702-1 is illuminated. Thelens 1703 refracts the light pattern (indicated by area 1704) to producethe field of illumination 1710. In the example of FIGS. 17A-17B, thefield of illumination 1710 is the smallest illumination pattern that theflash module 1701 is configured to produce. This field of illumination1710 may be used when capturing an image with a lens having a relativelysmall field of view (e.g., as compared to the patterns in FIGS.17C-17F), such as a telephoto lens. As described above, this field ofillumination (e.g., the angle of the field of illumination) may also besubstantially equal to or greater than the field of view of the camerawith which it is used.

FIGS. 17C-17D illustrate the flash module 1701 when the light emittingstructure 1700 is producing a second illumination pattern. Inparticular, as shown in FIG. 17C, illuminable regions 1702-2-1702-5 areilluminated (e.g., a first subset of the illuminable regions that arepositioned about a periphery of the central illuminable region 1702-1).The area 1706 provides an illustration of a comparative size and/orouter perimeter location of the illumination pattern produced by theilluminable regions 1702-2-1702-5. For example, the resultingillumination pattern has a size (e.g., an area) that is betweenillumination patterns as illustrated by areas 1704 and 1708 in FIGS. 17Aand 17E.

FIG. 17D illustrates an example cross-sectional view of the flash module1701 while the illuminable regions 1702-2-1702-5 are illuminated. Thelens 1703 refracts the light pattern (indicated by area 1706) to producethe field of illumination 1712. In the example of FIGS. 17C-17D, thefield of illumination 1712 is the second largest illumination patternthat the flash module 1701 is configured to produce. This field ofillumination 1712 may be used when capturing an image with a lens havinga wider field of view than the field of illumination 1710 in FIG. 17B.For example, in a device with three cameras each having a differentfield of view, the field of illumination 1712 may be used when capturingan image with the lens having the middle field of view.

FIGS. 17E-17F illustrate the flash module 1701 when the light emittingstructure 1700 is producing a third illumination pattern. In particular,as shown in FIG. 17E, illuminable regions 1702-6-1702-9 are illuminated(e.g., a second subset of the illuminable regions that are positionedabout a periphery of the central illuminable region 1702-1). The area1708 provides an illustration of a comparative size and/or outerperimeter location of the illumination pattern produced by theilluminable regions 1702-6-1702-9. For example, the resultingillumination pattern has a size (e.g., an area) that is greater than theillumination patterns illustrated by areas 1704 and 1706 in FIGS. 17Aand 17C.

FIG. 17F illustrates an example cross-sectional view of the flash module1701 while the illuminable regions 1702-6-1702-9 are illuminated. Thelens 1703 refracts the light pattern (indicated by area 1708) to producethe field of illumination 1714. In the example of FIGS. 17E-17F, thefield of illumination 1714 is the largest illumination pattern that theflash module 1701 is configured to produce. This field of illumination1714 may be used when capturing an image with a lens having a widerfield of view than the fields of illumination 1710 in FIG. 17B and 1712in FIG. 17D. For example, in a device with three cameras each having adifferent field of view, the field of illumination 1714 may be used whencapturing an image with the lens having the widest field of view.

In some cases, the light emitting structure 1700 is configured such thatthe illumination patterns achieve target illumination parameters. Thesizes, shapes, and/or positions of the illuminable regions (and/or theparticular selection of illuminable regions used to produce anillumination pattern) may be selected to produce a target intensity,illuminance, brightness, or other optical property. For example,different illuminable regions may be configured to produce a differentluminous flux in order to achieve target flash performance.

FIG. 18A illustrates a perspective view of a window portion 1624 of theflash module 1604 of FIGS. 16B-16C, positioned in a rear-facing sensorregion of a device. As shown, the window portion 1624 includes features1800 that are configured to produce a pattern that is visible from theoutside of the device. The features 1800, which may be or may include aseries of concentric ridges, may appear similar to a Fresnel lens.However, as described herein, the features 1800 may have no or onlyminimal lensing effects, and may not significantly change the field ofview that the flash module 1604 illuminates. For example, the field ofview illuminated with the flash module with the window portion 1624 maydiffer from a field of view illuminated with a flash module without thewindow portion 1624 (or with a flat, featureless window portion) by lessthan about 10%, less than about 15%, or less than about 2%.

FIG. 18B illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the windowportion 1624 of the flash module 1604 of FIGS. 16B-16C, viewed alongline 18B-18B in FIG. 18A, for example. As described above, the windowportion 1624 may include features 1800 along a bottom or interior side1808 of the window portion 1624, the interior side 1808 opposite anexterior side 1810 (which defines part of an exterior surface of arear-facing sensor array). The features 1800 may be configured tovisually occlude the components inside the flash module 1604 withoutsubstantially changing the direction and/or angle of the field ofillumination of the flash module 1604. For example, the features 1800may be symmetrical ring-like ridges whose cumulative effect on theangle, distribution, or other property of light passing through thewindow portion 1624 is negligible or below a threshold amount. In somecases, the features 1800 may be configured to change the field ofillumination of the light leaving the lens 1618 by less than about 10degrees. The features 1800 may produce a pattern that is visible fromthe exterior side 1810 of the window portion 1624. For example, thefeatures may include a plurality of concentric ring-like ridges,producing a pattern of concentric rings that is visible from theexterior side 1810 of the window portion 1624.

When viewed from the outside, the features 1800 may impart aFresnel-like appearance to the window portion 1624, which produces atextured or ridged appearance to the window portion 1624 (despite theexterior side being planar) and reduces the ability to see clearlythrough the window portion 1624. Stated another way, the features 1800may obscure the appearance of the inside of the flash module. However,the particular shape and configuration of the features 1800 may bespecifically configured not to act as a Fresnel (or other) lens, suchthat the features 1800 have relatively little impact on the field ofillumination, as described above.

As shown in FIG. 18B, the features 1800, which are defined bysymmetrical peaks with flat sides, may have an angle 1802, height(trough-to-peak) 1806, and pitch (e.g., peak-to-peak distance) 1804. Forexample, each feature 1800 may be a ridge defined by a peak having afirst side (e.g., side 1812) extending from the flash window at a firstangle (e.g., angle 1802) and a second side (e.g., side 1814) extendingfrom the flash window at a second angle (e.g., angle 1803), the firstangle and the second angle having a same magnitude and an opposite sign.Thus, the peaks are symmetrical. The other features may have peaks withsubstantially equal angles (e.g., each peak may be defined by two sidesextending from the flash window at the first angle and the second angle,respectively).

Each feature 1800 may be substantially identical to each other feature.In some cases, the angle 1802 may be between about 5 degrees and about20 degrees, between about 6 degrees and about 14 degrees, or othersuitable ranges. The height 1806 may be between about 0.002 mm and about0.01 mm, between about 0.005 mm and 0.009 mm, or other suitable ranges.The pitch may be between about 0.08 mm and about 0.2 mm, between about0.1 mm and about 0.16 mm, or other suitable ranges.

While FIGS. 18A-18B describe the window portion 1624, it will beunderstood that the same or similar features may be present on any flashwindow described herein. For example, the flash module 1701 may includethe same or similar features, and thus may have the same or similarexternal appearance, as the flash module 1604.

FIGS. 19A-19B illustrate an example haptic engine 1900 that may be usedin electronic devices as described herein. The haptic engine 1900 maycorrespond to or be an embodiment of the haptic actuator 222, 322, orother haptic actuators described herein. The haptic engine 1900 may bepositioned in an interior cavity of a device and may be configured toproduce a haptic output along an exterior surface of the device inresponse to an actuation signal.

The haptic engine 1900 may include an integrated design in which bodycomponents that define sides of the haptic engine 1900 (e.g., exterior,structural sides) include molded elements that at least partiallyencapsulate, and thus mechanically couple to, spring elements (e.g.,flexures) that are used to suspend or flexibly couple a movable masswithin the haptic engine 1900. The movable mass may also include moldedelements that at least partially encapsulate, and thus mechanicallycouple to, the spring elements. In this way, the mechanical coupling ofthe spring elements to the structural components of the haptic engine1900 may be accomplished via mechanical overmolds, instead of welds,fasteners, or other attachment techniques. This may provide numerousadvantages, including reduction of overall part count and manufacturingtime and operations, as a subassembly that includes both housingcomponents, spring elements, and the movable mass may be assembled in aninsert molding process.

For example, with reference to FIGS. 19A-19B, the haptic engine 1900 mayinclude a first body component 1913-1 defining a first side of thehaptic engine. The first body component 1913-1 may include a firstspring flexure 1912-1 and a first end element 1918-1 molded over aportion of the first spring flexure 1912-1 (e.g., molded over an endportion 1915 of the first spring flexure 1912-1, as shown in the detailview of FIG. 19B). The haptic engine 1900 may also include a second bodycomponent 1913-2 defining a second side of the haptic engine oppositethe first side and comprising a second spring flexure 1912-2 and asecond end element 1918-2 molded over a portion of the second springflexure 1912-2 (e.g., molded over an end portion of the second springflexure 1912-2, similar to the detail view shown in FIG. 19B). The endelements 1918 (e.g., 1918-1, 1918-2) may be part of or defined bypolymer elements 1914 (e.g., 1914-1, 1914-2) that are molded over orotherwise engaged with metal wall structures 1910 (e.g., wall structures1910-1, 1910-2). The spring flexures 1912 may be formed from metal,(e.g., they may be bent sheet-metal members), or another suitablecompliant material.

The haptic engine 1900 further includes a movable mass component 1904coupled to the first spring flexure 1912-1 and the second spring flexure1912-2. The movable mass component 1904 may include a molded polymerframe 1906, a magnet 1908 coupled to the molded polymer frame 1906 (andconfigured to produce a magnetic field configured to interact with acoil to induce linear movement of the movable mass component), andoptionally a metallic weight 1907 coupled to the polymer frame 1906. Thehaptic engine 1900 may also include a coil 1916 configured to induce alinear movement of the movable mass component 1904 in response to anactuation signal, thereby producing the haptic output. For example, whenan actuation signal is provided to the coil 1916, a force may beimparted on the movable mass component 1904, which causes the movablemass component 1904 to move, thereby flexing the spring flexures 1912(e.g., cyclically causing one flexure to compress and the other toexpand). Bend portions of the spring flexures (e.g., bend portion 1917,FIG. 19B) may deform in response to the linear movement of the movablemass component 1904. The actuation signal may be provided in response tovarious conditions and/or events, such as detection of a touch input bythe device in which the haptic engine 1900 is included.

The spring flexures 1912 may be coupled to the movable mass component1904 and to the end elements 1918 of the body components 1913 viamechanical engagement and/or encapsulation produced by overmoldingpolymer materials over the end portions of the spring flexures. Forexample, metal wall structures 1910 of the body components, the magnet1908 (and optionally the metallic weight 1907), and the spring flexures1912 may be introduced into a mold cavity. One or more polymer materialsmay then be injected into the mold cavity, thereby causing the polymermaterials to at least partially encapsulate or otherwise engage the endportions of the spring flexures 1912, the metal wall structures 1910,and the magnet 1908 (and optionally the metallic weight 1907). Thepolymer material that forms the polymer elements 1914 and the polymerframe 1906 may be a liquid crystal polymer material, a fiber-reinforcedpolymer, or the like. Further, while a single insert molding process isdescribed above, it will be understood that multiple insert moldingprocesses may be used, such as a first insert molding process to couplethe spring flexures to the movable mass component and a second to couplethe spring flexures to the metal wall structures.

The detail view of FIG. 19B illustrates an example configuration of thehaptic engine 1900 after the molding process. The end element 1918-1 atleast partially encapsulates (e.g., is molded over) the first endportion 1915 of the spring flexure 1912-1, and polymer frame 1906 atleast partially encapsulates (e.g., is molded over) the second endportion 1930 of the spring flexure 1912-1. The encapsulation of the endportions of the spring flexures mechanically retain the spring flexuresto the movable mass component 1904 and the body components 1913. Thus, asingle subassembly is produced that includes two body components, springflexures, and the movable mass, and in which the mechanical attachmentof the spring flexures to the movable mass component 1904 and to thewall structures is achieved via the encapsulation of the end portions ofthe spring flexures in the polymer materials of the movable masscomponent 1904 and the body components 1913. While the detail view ofFIG. 19B illustrates only one spring flexure, it will be understood thateach spring flexure may have the same or similar configuration.

The polymer elements 1914 and the polymer frame 1906 may also includetravel-limiting features that limit travel of the movable mass component1904 during movement of the movable mass component 1904. For example, asshown in the detail view of FIG. 19B, the polymer element 1914-1 definesan impact surface 1921, and the polymer frame 1906 defines an impactsurface 1920. The impact surfaces 1920, 1921 may be configured such thatthey are the surfaces of the polymer frame 1906 and the body components1913 that are nearest to one another, such that they contact one anotherto limit travel of the movable mass component 1904 (if the linear motionor oscillation of the movable mass component 1904 has sufficientamplitude). Because the impact surfaces are defined by the polymerelements 1914 and the polymer frame 1906, they may be formed as flat,featureless surfaces, and if they impact one another, the force of theimpact may be distributed over a relatively large area. Further, thepolymer materials may produce less noise than other materials shouldthey impact one another. By contrast, if the spring flexures wereinstead welded to the body components 1913 and/or the movable masscomponent 1904, or secured with fasteners, the weldments, fasteners, orother sharp or irregular metal components may impact each other when themovable mass component 1904 moves, which may damage the haptic engine,produce undesirable audible noise, or the like. The haptic engine 1900may be configured so that the impact surfaces do not contact one anotherduring normal haptic outputs. Rather, the impact surfaces may beprovided to limit travel in overtravel circumstances, such as if thedevice is dropped or some other condition causes the movable masscomponent 1904 to move more than intended.

In some cases, additional impact surfaces are provided between themovable mass component 1904 and the body components 1913. For example,impact surfaces 1922, 1924 may be provided at the opposite end of thespring flexures (e.g., proximate the bend portion). The impact surfaces1922, 1924 may be configured to contact one another at the same timethat the impact surfaces 1920, 1921 contact one another, therebypreventing or inhibiting a twisting or rotating motion being imparted tothe movable mass component 1904 (e.g., linear motion of the movable masscomponent 1904 may be maintained, even when the movable mass component1904 is impacting the body components 1913). While polymer features thatdefine impact surfaces are described with respect to one side of thehaptic engine 1900 (e.g., proximate the first spring flexure),corresponding features and impact surfaces may be provided on both sidesof the haptic engine, as depicted in FIG. 19B, such that travel may belimited in a similar manner in both directions of motion of the movablemass component 1904.

The haptic engine further includes a main body defined by a middle bodycomponent that defines a portion of four additional sides of the hapticengine 1900 and at least partially defines an interior cavity of thehaptic engine 1900. The middle body component may include, for example,an upper component 1902, which may define three sides of the hapticengine 1900, and a lower component 1926, which may define one side ofthe haptic engine 1900. The upper component 1902 and the lower component1926 may be welded together (or otherwise attached, such as viafasteners, adhesive, etc.) to define the main body of the haptic engine1900. The coil 1916 may be coupled to the lower component 1926, suchthat it is positioned on an interior of the middle body component. Insome cases, the coil 1916 may be coupled to the upper component 1902, ora second coil may be coupled to the upper component 1902.

The body components 1913 may be coupled to the middle body component tosecure the components of the haptic engine 1900 and to define theexternal structure of the haptic engine 1900. For example, the metalwall structures of the body components 1913 may be welded to the middlebody component (e.g., to at least one of the upper or lower component1902, 1926).

FIGS. 20A-20B illustrate an example integrated module 2000 that mayinclude multiple system components that share a common housing and acommon electrical connection. The integrated module 2000 may improvemanufacturing and assembly efficiency and reduce part count as comparedto configurations in which the system components do not share a housingor electrical connection. The integrated module 2000 may be configuredto house multiple components therein, such as a pressure sensor 2020, amicrophone 2022, and a barometric vent 2024 (e.g., a pressure equalizingstructure), though these are merely example components that may beincorporated in the integrated module 2000. The integrated module 2000may be configured to facilitate environmental access to the exteriorenvironment, such as via openings 2006, 2008, 2010, which may be coupledto one or more corresponding holes formed through a housing component.Thus, the integrated module 2000 may include components that rely onenvironmental access to the exterior environment, such as speakers,microphones, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors,barometric or pressure-equalizing structures, and the like.

As shown, the integrated module 2000 includes a housing base 2002 and ahousing cover 2004 that define an internal cavity 2005. The components(e.g., the components 2020, 2022, 2024) may be positioned in theinternal cavity, and may be at least partially enclosed in theintegrated module 2000. The housing base 2002 may define openings 2006,2008, and 2010, which may be connected via internal passages to theinternal openings 2026, 2028, and 2030. Components 2020, 2022, 2024 maybe coupled to a flexible circuit element 2012, and may be attached tothe housing base 2002 within the internal cavity 2005 and over theinternal openings 2026, 2028, and 2030, such that the components 2020,2022, 2024 are in fluidic communication with the exterior environmentthrough the openings 2006, 2008, 2010 and the internal openings 2026,2028, and 2030 (and the internal passages joining them). The components2020, 2022, 2024 (and optionally the flexible circuit element 2012) maybe attached to the housing base 2002 via adhesive, such as a pressuresensitive adhesive.

As noted above, the components 2020, 2022, 2024 may be coupled to asingle flexible circuit element 2012. The flexible circuit element 2012may be coupled to another component within a device, such as a circuitboard assembly, and may carry electrical signals to and from thecomponents 2020, 2022, 2024. In some cases, the flexible circuit element2012 may include holes providing fluidic access through the circuitelement 2012 for the components 2020, 2022, 2024. In some cases, thecircuit element 2012 is positioned on top of the components 2020, 2022,2024 or otherwise does not interfere with fluidic coupling between thecomponents 2020, 2022, 2024 and the internal passages in the housingbase 2002.

The circuit element 2012 with the components 2020, 2022, 2024 attachedthereto may be attached to the housing base 2002, and the housing cover2004 may be attached to the housing base 2002, prior to final assemblyof the device. Accordingly, the integrated module 2000 may be completedas a subassembly that can be integrated with the device quickly andefficiently. For example, the integrated module 2000 may be positionedin the device (e.g., such that the openings 2006, 2008, 2010 communicatewith one or more openings formed through a housing component of adevice) and secured to the device (e.g., with fasteners, adhesives,etc.), and the circuit element 2012 may be conductively coupled toanother circuit component, such as a circuit board assembly.

FIG. 20C illustrates an example configuration of a housing component2051 and an integrated module 2050 (which may correspond to or be anembodiment of the integrated module 2000) that are configured for avertical assembly technique. The integrated module 2050 may includemultiple system components mounted therein, and a common flexiblecircuit element 2055 coupled to the multiple system components andextending from the housing. Example components that may be positioned inthe integrated module 2050 include, without limitation, speakers,microphones, pressure sensors, temperature sensors, humidity sensors,barometric or pressure-equalizing structures, and the like.

The housing component 2051 may define an angled mounting structure 2054and a hole 2056 extending through the housing component 2051 and theangled mounting structure 2054. The angled mounting structure 2054 maybe unitary with the housing component 2051. For example, the angledmounting structure 2054 may be a machined, molded, or forged feature ofthe housing component 2051. The hole 2056 (which is shown as a singlehole, but could also be multiple separate holes) may provide fluidiccoupling between the exterior environment of the device and theintegrated module 2050. The angled mounting structure 2054 may beconfigured to mate with a corresponding angled mounting structure 2052defined by the integrated module 2050. For example, the angled mountingstructure 2054 of the housing component 2051 and the angled mountingstructure 2052 of the integrated module 2050 may have complementaryangles that allow the angled mounting structures to mate to one anotherwhen the integrated module 2050 is moved along a single direction 2058into the device. Stated another way, the integrated module 2050 can beplaced in the device into its final position with a motion along asingle direction (e.g., vertically), and the placement will result inthe angled mounting structure 2052 intimately mating (e.g., along asingle plane) to the angled mounting structure 2054. Further, a forceassociated with placing the integrated module 2050 in the device alongthe direction 2058 (and/or a retention force on the integrated module2050 such as provided by a fastener that secures the integrated module2050 to the device housing) may provide a sealing force between theangled mounting structures. For example, a vertical retention forceapplied to the integrated module 2050 will also produce a sealing force(e.g., pressing the angled mounting structures together in a horizontaldirection) on the faces of the angled mounting structures. By contrast,if the mounting faces were vertically oriented, a vertical retentionforce would not provide a sealing force in a horizontal or perpendiculardirection.

In some cases, a gasket or seal material (e.g., a compliant foam) may bepositioned between the surfaces of the angled mounting structures toseal the fluidic passage defined through the housing component 2051 andthe integrated module 2050. Additionally or alternatively, one or moreadhesives (e.g., PSA, HSA, liquid-dispensed adhesive, etc.) may beprovided between the surfaces of the angled mounting structure and/orany gasket or sealing materials.

In order to prevent or limit damage to the front cover of mobiledevices, such as mobile phones and tablet computers, screen coveraccessories may be attached to the front (and optionally rear) covers ofsuch devices. Screen covers, which may also be referred to as screenprotectors, may also be used to provide optical functionality, such asto reduce the viewing angle of the screen (e.g., for privacy and/orsecurity), to add a textured or matte surface (e.g., to reduce glare) orthe like.

Screen covers may be formed from or include glass or polymer sheets(which may be transparent or optically transmissive), and optionally oneor more coatings, textures, or treatments, that overlie the front cover.As described herein, devices may include front-facing sensor arrays thatinclude optical components that emit and/or receive light through thefront cover of a device. For example, front-facing cameras captureimages using light received through the front cover, and a facialrecognition system may emit light (e.g., a pattern of dots and/or aflood of illumination) through the front cover, and receive portions ofthe emitted light that is reflected from the face of a user. In somecases, a screen cover may define cutouts or holes over the locations offront-facing sensors, or may be shaped or otherwise configured so thatthey do not cover some or all of the front-facing sensors of a device,such that the screen cover and/or coatings, textures, adhesives of thescreen cover do not optically interfere with the front-facing sensors.

As described herein, a front-facing sensor region may be positionedwithin an active display region of a display, such that the front-facingsensor region is completely surrounded on all sides by active displayregions (e.g., graphical outputs on the display, such as a userinterface, may completely surround the front-facing sensor region).Additionally, the device may be able to detect touch inputs applied tothe front-facing sensor region, despite the front-facing sensor regionlacking full coverage of touch-sensing components. Accordingly, it maybe inconvenient to use a screen cover that has a hole or opening for thefront-facing sensor region. For example, a hole may introduce a recessaround or near the front-facing sensor region, which may interfere withthe way touch inputs are detected and/or how a user's finger contactsthe front-facing sensor region when providing a touch input.Additionally, a hole in the screen cover may negatively affect theperception of the front-facing sensor region as an area of the displaywith which a user can interact (e.g., it may reduce the likelihood thata user will recognize the front-facing sensor region as a supplementalinput region of the device).

FIG. 21A illustrates an example device 2100 and a screen cover 2104 foruse with the device 2100. The device 2100 may correspond to or be anembodiment of the device 100, 140, 200, 300, 400, or any other devicedescribed herein. The device 2100 may include a front cover 2103 (whichmay correspond to or be an embodiment of the front covers 102, 202, 302,or any other front covers described herein), and a front-facing sensorregion 2102 (which may correspond to or be an embodiment of thefront-facing sensor region 111, 113, 1002, 1211, 1221, 1231, or anyother front-facing sensor region described herein).

The screen cover 2104 may be configured to be positioned on the frontcover 2103, and may be attached to the front cover 2113 via adhesive(e.g., a PSA or adhesive film), electrostatic bonds, or the like. Thescreen cover 2104 may define a window region 2106 that is configured tobe positioned over or otherwise aligned with the front-facing sensorregion 2102 and which may differ from the surrounding regions of thescreen cover 2014 in one or more ways. For example, as described herein,the window region 2106 may correspond to a hole in an optical coating,texture, adhesive, or other layer of the screen cover 2104 that mightotherwise interfere with the front-facing sensor region 2102. The windowregion 2106 thus allows the screen cover 2104 to extend over thefront-facing sensor region (e.g., instead of forming a hole through thefront-facing sensor region), while also reducing or eliminating effectson the operation of the front-facing sensor array.

FIG. 21B is a side view of the screen cover 2104, illustrating thelocation of the window region 2106. FIG. 21C is a cross-sectional viewof an example of the screen cover 2104, viewed along line 21C-21C inFIG. 21A, in which a top or exterior side of the screen cover 2104includes a feature layer 2114. The screen cover 2104 also includes asubstrate 2110, and an optional adhesive 2112. The substrate may beformed from or include a glass material. The glass material may be asilica-based glass material, an aluminosilicate glass, aboroaluminosilicate glass, an alkali metal aluminosilicate glass (e.g.,a lithium aluminosilicate glass), or a chemically strengthened glass.Other example materials for the cover 102 include, without limitation,sapphire, ceramic, glass-ceramic, crystallizable glass materials, orplastic (e.g., polycarbonate). In some cases the substrate is a singlemonolithic piece of material, and in other cases it may have multiplelayers. The adhesive 2112 may be an optically clear adhesive, and may beconfigured to retain the screen cover 2104 to a front cover of a device.In some cases, the adhesive 2112, the substrate 2110, and/or the featurelayer 2114 may have substantially similar indices of refraction.

The feature layer 2114 may be a coating, texture, layer, film, or othermaterial or treatment, and may be configured to define a function orproperty of the screen cover 2104. For example, the feature layer may bean anti-glare layer configured to reduce glare from the front of thescreen cover. As another example, the feature layer may be ananti-reflective layer configured to improve light transmission throughthe screen cover 2014 and/or the front cover 2103. As another example,the feature layer may be a privacy layer configured to reduce theviewing angle of the display (e.g., so only individuals directly infront of the screen can view the graphical output). As yet anotherexample, the feature layer may be a surface texture that is configuredto reduce friction along and/or specular reflections from the frontsurface of the screen cover 2104. The feature layer 2114 may also havefunctions, or combinations of functions, instead of or in addition tothose described here.

Feature layers 2114 may take various different forms. Feature layers2114 may be formed in or part of the substrate 2110, or they may becoatings, films, or other materials that are attached to a surface ofthe screen cover 2014. For example, the feature layer 2114 may includeone or more layers of polymer material, such as polarizer films orlouvered films (e.g., light control films). As another example, thefeature layer 2114 may be one or more deposited coatings, such as a PVDlayer or CVD layer. As yet another example, the feature layer 2114 maybe a texture formed into the surface of the substrate via machining,etching (e.g., chemical, plasma, laser), abrasive blasting, or the like.

FIG. 21D illustrates a cross-sectional view of another example of ascreen cover 2125, viewed along a line corresponding to the line 21C-21Cin FIG. 21A, in which a bottom or interior side of the screen cover 2125includes a feature layer 2120. The screen cover 2125 includes asubstrate 2116, which may correspond to or be an embodiment of thesubstrate 2110 in FIG. 21C, and an adhesive 2118, which may correspondto or be an embodiment of the adhesive 2112 in FIG. 21C. The substrate,optional adhesive, and feature layer of FIG. 21D may be the same as orsimilar to those discussed with respect to FIG. 21C, and as such aredundant description of those components and their examples is omittedfor clarity. While the feature layer 2120 is shown along the bottomsurface of the substrate 2116, the feature layer 2120 may instead bepart of or incorporated in the adhesive 2118.

As shown in both FIGS. 21C and 21D, an opening may be formed in thefeature layers 2114, 2120 to define the window region 2106. Thus, anyoptical effects of the feature layers 2114, 2120 are not present in thewindow region 2106 and will not interfere with the operation of thefront-facing sensor region. As an example, a screen cover adapted forscreen privacy may include a feature layer that includes or defineslouvers that limit or reduce the maximum viewing angle of the screen,and may interfere with the operation of optical sensors such as camerasand facial recognition systems. Accordingly, the openings ordiscontinuities in the feature layers (which define the window region2106) define an area where the louvers are not present, such that theoperation of the optical sensors is not impacted. The window region 2106provides analogous advantages for other types of feature layers as well.For example, the window region 2106 may define a region where a surfacetexture is not present, or where an anti-reflective and/or anti-glarecoating is not present. Notably, in all cases, the window region 2106does not include a hole through the substate, such that the substate ofthe screen cover still extends over the front-facing sensor region,thereby providing protection to the front-facing sensor region withoutproducing a recess or surface irregularity that may negatively impactthe function of the front-facing sensor region (e.g., by hindering theoperation of the touch-sensing functions).

In some cases, the presence of a screen cover on a display may change oraffect the electrical properties that are detected as part of detectingtouch inputs on the front cover and/or in the front-facing sensorregion. In some cases, a different touch sensing algorithm may be moreeffective at detecting touch inputs (e.g., to the front-facing sensorregion) based on whether or not a screen cover is in use. Accordingly,the device may include a screen cover sensor (e.g., an optical sensor,electrostatic sensor, capacitive sensor, etc.) that can determinewhether a screen cover is in use. If the device detects that a screencover is not in use, it may use a first touch sensing algorithm orprocess for detecting touch inputs applied to the cover and/or thefront-facing sensor region, and if the device detects that a screencover is in use, it may use a second (e.g., different) touch sensingalgorithm or process for detecting touch inputs applied to the coverand/or the front-facing sensor region.

As described herein, the ability to remove and/or dissipate heat fromheat-generating components in a device may provide numerous advantages,such as facilitating faster processing speeds, more powerful electricalcomponents, greater throughput, and lower operating temperatures. Asdescribed herein, circuit board assemblies may include processors andother heat generating components. Accordingly, heat removal anddissipation from circuit board assemblies may have a significantpositive impact on the operation of the system.

FIGS. 22A-22C illustrate an example circuit board assembly 2200. Thecircuit board assembly 2200 may correspond to or be an embodiment of thecircuit board assembly 2200, or other circuit board assemblies describedherein. The circuit board assembly 2200 may include a first substrate2202 (e.g., a first circuit board), a second substrate 2204 (e.g., asecond circuit board), and a wall structure 2206. An internal cavity maybe defined between the first substrate 2202, second substrate 2204, andwall structure 2206, and circuit components such as processors and otherelectronic components may be positioned in the internal cavity (e.g.,coupled to one or both of the first substrate 2202 and the secondsubstrate 2204).

In some cases, processors and other electronic and/or circuit componentsmay also be coupled to the external surfaces of one or both of the firstand second substrates 2202, 2204. For example, as shown in FIG. 22A,components 2208 (e.g., 2208-1, 2208-2, and 2208-3) may be positioned onthe exterior surface of the second substrate 2204. The components 2208may be processors, integrated circuits, system-on-chips, or the like,which may generate heat during device operation.

A cowling 2210 may be positioned over (e.g., cover) the components 2208to protect, shield, and/or otherwise enclose the components. The cowling2210 may also conduct heat away from the components 2208 and optionallyinto another component or structure of the device. The cowling 2210 maycover substantially an entire top surface of the circuit board assembly(e.g., greater than about 90% of the top surface of the circuit boardassembly and/or a circuit board thereof). In some cases, the cowling2210 may cover more than about 80% of the top surface of the circuitboard assembly and/or a circuit board thereof.

In order to achieve the mechanical, electrical, and/or thermal functionsof the cowling 2210, the cowling 2210 may be formed from a metalmaterial. Metals may provide good mechanical protection and thermalconductivity, but they may also be heavy relative to other materials. Inorder to achieve the mechanical, electrical, weight, and/or thermaltargets for a particular device, the cowling 2210 may be formed from analuminum alloy. The aluminum alloy may provide high thermal conductivityand mechanical strength, while also having a low weight (as compared toother metals, such as steel).

The cowling 2210 may be configured to cover substantially an entiresurface of the second substrate 2204, and cover all or substantially allof the components 2208 positioned on the exterior of the secondsubstrate 2204. In some cases, the cowling 2210 covers all processorsthat are positioned on the exterior of the second substrate 2204, asthese may be the components that generate the most heat and/or mostbenefit from mechanical and/or electrical shielding provided by thecowling 2210.

In some cases the cowling 2210 is formed from or includes a 7000 seriesaluminum alloy, such as a 7475 series aluminum alloy. In some cases, thecowling 2210 is formed from or includes a 5000 series aluminum alloy, a6000 series aluminum alloy, or another aluminum alloy. Other metals orthermally conductive materials may also be used, such as stainlesssteel, titanium, carbon fiber, or the like.

The cowling may 2210 may be formed from a sheet of metal (e.g., 7475aluminum) having a substantially uniform thickness. For example, thethickness of the sheet of aluminum from which the cowling 2210 is formedmay deviate by less than about 10%, less than about 5%, or less thanabout 2.5%. The cowling 2210 may therefore have substantially the samethickness (e.g., a substantially uniform thickness) as the sheet, exceptwhere the cowling 2210 is optionally locally thinned (e.g., via chemicaletching, machining, etc.), or where a forming operation (e.g., bendingthe metal sheet to form raised portions, fastening flanges, etc.) causeslocal deviations to the thickness of the material.

In some cases, the sheet from which the cowling 2210 is formed (and thusthe cowling 2210) may have a thickness between about 0.25 mm and about0.35 mm, between about 0.2 mm and about 0.32 mm, or another suitablethickness. The thickness of the sheet from which the cowling 2210 isformed (and thus the thickness of the cowling 2210) may be less thanabout 0.5 mm, less than about 0.4 mm, less than about 0.35 mm, oranother suitable thickness.

The cowling 2210 may be shaped to define different features, such asfastening flanges 2212, raised portions 2213, or the like. In somecases, such features may be formed by a stamping process, which mayintroduce bends into the material of the cowling 2210. In some cases,the bend segments (e.g., portions of the cowling 2210 that are bent todefine features of the cowling 2210) have bend radii that are greaterthan a minimum bend radius, which may help prevent cracking or breakingat or near the bends during forming and/or use of the cowling 2210. Insome cases, the minimum bend radius is between about 0.3 mm and about0.7 mm, or between about 0.4 mm and about 1.0 mm. In some cases, thebend radius is greater than about 0.4 mm, greater than about 0.5 mm,greater than about 0.75 mm, or another suitable dimension.

A thermally conductive structure, such as a first graphite structure2214 may be positioned on the cowling 2210. The first graphite structure2214 may be adhered to the cowling 2210. The first graphite structure2214 may have a high thermal conductivity, and may aid in extracting,dissipating, and/or otherwise removing heat from the cowling and theunderlying electrical components. For example, a processor positionedunder a cowling may result in uneven heating of the cowling (e.g., thearea of the cowling directly above and/or in contact with the processormay become hotter than surrounding areas). The first graphite structure2214 may distribute the heat of the cowling more evenly over the fullarea of the first graphite structure 2214. This may help dissipate theheat from the cowling, and may also lower peak temperatures along thefirst graphite structure 2214. More particularly, the high thermalconductivity of the first graphite structure 2214 may help produce amore even surface temperature along the surfaces of the first graphitestructure 2214, as compared to a cowling without a thermally conductivelayer.

The first graphite structure 2214 may be formed from a single layer ofgraphite, or multiple layers of graphite (e.g., synthetic graphite). Themultiple layers of graphite may be coupled together with adhesive. Incases where the first graphite structure 2214 is formed from multiplelayers of graphite, the structure may have different thicknesses indifferent regions, formed by different numbers of layers of graphite.

The circuit board assembly 2200 may also include thermal bridges 2216(e.g., 2216-1, 2216-2). The thermal bridges 2216 may include a compliantstructure, such as a foam, wrapped with a thermally conductive layer,such as a graphite layer. The foam, or other suitable compliant memberor material, may provide compliance (e.g., allowing the thermal bridgesto deform between two structures) while also providing a return forcethat forces the thermal bridge into contact with the structures. Thethermally conductive layer may be looped around the compliant structureor otherwise make physical contact with the structures that are to bethermally coupled. The thermal bridges 2216 may contact the firstgraphite structure 2214, as shown, and also contact another structure ofthe device to conduct heat from the cowling 2210 to the otherstructures. For example, the thermal bridges 2216 may be positioned onthe side of the circuit board assembly 2200 that faces a front-coverassembly (e.g., the front-cover assembly 201 in FIG. 2 ). In such case,the thermal bridges 2216 may contact the front cover assembly (e.g., agraphite layer of the front cover assembly), thereby forming a thermalpath from the cowling 2210 to the front cover assembly, via the firstgraphite structure 2214 and the thermal bridges 2216.

The thermal dissipation structures of the circuit board assembly,including the cowling 2210, the first graphite structure 2214, and thethermal bridges 2216 may dissipate heat from the circuit board assembly2200 at a target rate. As described herein, greater heat dissipationfrom the circuit board assembly 2200 may allow higher processing speeds,higher processing efficiencies, lower component temperature, and otheradvantages. In some cases, the thermal dissipation structures (e.g., thecowling 2210, the first graphite structure 2214, and the thermal bridges2216) dissipate heat at a rate between about 1000 milliwatts and about3000 milliwatts, or between about 2500 milliwatts and about 3200milliwatts, or between about 2650 milliwatts and about 3000 milliwatts.Thermal dissipation from the thermal dissipation structures includesheat transfer via conduction, radiation, and/or convection.

FIG. 22B illustrates a second side of the circuit board assembly 2200.The second side of the circuit board assembly 2200 may face the mainhousing structure of a device. A second thermally conductive structure,such as a second graphite structure 2220, may be positioned along theexterior surface of the first substrate 2202. The second graphitestructure 2220 may have a non-planar exterior surface to accommodate theshape of the underlying structure and/or internal components to whichthe circuit board assembly 2200 may be coupled. In some cases, thetopology of the second graphite structure 2220 conforms to the topologyof the structure and/or components that underlie the circuit boardassembly 2200 (e.g., that the second graphite structure 2220 ispositioned against). In some cases, the circuit board assembly 2200 mayinclude thermal bridges 2216 (e.g., 2216-3, 2216-4) positioned on thesecond side of the circuit board assembly. The thermal bridges 2216-3,2216-4 may include a compliant structure, such as a foam, wrapped with athermally conductive layer, such as a graphite layer. The foam, or othersuitable compliant member or material, may provide compliance (e.g.,allowing the thermal bridges to deform between two structures) whilealso providing a return force that forces the thermal bridge intocontact with the structures. The thermally conductive layer may belooped around the compliant structure or otherwise make physical contactwith the structures that are to be thermally coupled. The thermalbridges 2216 may contact the second graphite structure 2220, as shown,and also contact another structure of the device (e.g., an internalstructure of a device) to conduct heat from the circuit board assembly2200 to the other structures.

FIG. 22B illustrates one example configuration of the second graphitestructure 2220 having different regions of different thicknesses, andthus different elevations or heights. For example, the regions 2221 and2222 of the second graphite structure 2220 may have the lowestthickness, and thus define the lowest surface height of the secondgraphite structure 2220. The region 2224 may have a greater thicknessthan the regions 2221, 2222, and thus define a higher surface height ofthe second graphite structure 2220. The region 2223 may have thegreatest thickness, and thus define the highest surface height of thesecond graphite structure 2220. As shown, the different thicknesses andheights may define recesses and protrusions, which may accommodateand/or generally conform to the heights of the structures and componentsto which the circuit board assembly 2200 is coupled.

As described above, the differences in thickness of the second graphitestructure 2220 that result in the different surface heights (e.g., therecesses and protrusions of the graphite structure) may be formed byapplying different numbers of graphite layers in different locations.Thus, while each individual layer of graphite (e.g., synthetic graphite)may be substantially uniform in thickness (e.g., between about 10microns and about 20 microns), the use of different numbers of layers(and differently shaped layers) in different locations produces thedesired topology for the second graphite structure 2220.

The second graphite structure 2220 may be configured to conduct orotherwise transfer heat from the circuit board assembly 2200 to otherstructures, components, or assemblies of the device. For example, thecircuit board assembly 2200 may be coupled to a housing 210 (FIG. 2 )such that the second graphite structure 2220 faces and/or contacts oneor more components of the housing 210 (e.g., the support structure 219).The second graphite structure 2220 may transfer heat from the circuitboard assembly 2200 to the support structure 219. In some cases, thesecond graphite structure 2220 dissipates heat at a rate between about1000 milliwatts and about 2000 milliwatts, or between about 1500milliwatts and about 4000 milliwatts. Thermal dissipation from thesecond graphite structure 2220 includes heat transfer via conduction,radiation, and/or convection. In some cases, the total thermaldissipation from the circuit board assembly 2200 includes thermaldissipation achieved with the second graphite structure 2220, thecowling 2210, the first graphite structure 2214, and the thermal bridges2216. The total thermal dissipation from the circuit board assembly 2200may be between about 2000 milliwatts and about 5000 milliwatts, orbetween about 2500 milliwatts and about 3200 milliwatts.

FIG. 22C is a partial cross-sectional view of the cowling 2210 and thefirst graphite structure 2214, viewed along line 22C-22C in FIG. 22A.For example, the cowling 2210 may include an aluminum base structure2238, which may be formed from a 7475 aluminum alloy, or anothersuitable aluminum alloy. The aluminum base structure 2238 may have athickness between about 0.2 mm and about 0.3 mm. The thickness of thealuminum base structure may be less than about 0.5 mm, less than about0.4 mm, less than about 0.3 mm, or another suitable thickness. The firstgraphite structure 2214 may include one or multiple layers of graphite.Where the first graphite structure 2214 includes multiple layers ofgraphite, the first graphite structure 2214 may include layers ofadhesive, which couple the layers of graphite together and optionallycouple the first graphite structure 2214 to the aluminum base structure2238. One or more additional layers and/or materials may be positionedbetween the aluminum base structure 2238 and the first graphitestructure 2214.

FIG. 22D is a partial cross-sectional view of the cowling 2210 andgraphite structure 2214, viewed along line 22D-22D in FIG. 22A. FIG. 22Dillustrates an example cross-section showing the cowling 2210 throughthe raised portion 2213 of the cowling and an adjacent portion 2250(e.g., a main portion) of the cowling 2210. The raised portion 2213 ofthe cowling defines a protrusion along the upper surface, and acorresponding recess along the lower surface. The raised portion 2213 ofthe cowling may be formed by a stamping, forging, or other operation. Asnoted above, the raised portion 2213 may be provided in order to providegreater clearance under the cowling 2210, such as to accommodate ataller component (e.g., a circuit component) in the space below thecowling 2210.

In some cases, the cowling 2210 may have a different thickness in theraised portion 2213 than in other regions of the cowling 2210 (e.g., inthe adjacent portion 2250). The difference in thickness may be producedby a thickness reduction operation to the aluminum base layer 2238. Forexample, the aluminum base layer 2238 may define a first thickness 2254in one region (e.g., the adjacent or main portion 2250), and a secondthickness 2256, less than the first thickness, in a second region (e.g.,the raised portion 2213). The first thickness 2254 may be between about0.2 mm and about 0.5 mm, and the second thickness 2256 may be betweenabout 0.1 mm and about 0.3 mm. The thickness of the aluminum base layer2238 in the raised portion 2213 may be reduced in various ways. Forexample, a localized etching process (e.g., chemical etching) may beapplied to the aluminum base layer 2238 in the target region. In otherexamples, a machine operation, such as milling, grinding, abrasion, orthe like, may be used to locally reduce the thickness of the aluminumbase layer 2238. In examples where the reduced thickness is incorporatedin a raised (or recessed) portion of the cowling 2210, the thicknessreduction operation may be performed after the shaping operation thatforms the raised or recessed portion. In other examples, the thicknessreduction operation may be performed before the shaping operation. Insome examples, a cowling includes regions of reduced thickness atlocations that are not also shaped (e.g., are not raised or recessed).In some examples, recessed portions and/or protruding portions areproduced by locally thinning the cowling in certain locations to producethe desired thickness profile.

As described above, the graphite structure 2214 may also have differentthicknesses at different locations of the cowling 2210. For example, asshown in FIG. 22D, the graphite structure 2214 has a variable thickness,defining a second thickness 2257 in the raised portion 2213 of thecowling, and a first thickness 2258, greater than the second thickness,in the adjacent portion 2250 of the cowling. As shown, the upper surfaceof the cowling 2210 protrudes in the raised portion 2213. In othercases, a variable-thickness graphite structure 2214 is configured sothat the upper surface of the cowling 2210 has a substantially planarupper surface. As described above, the different thicknesses of thegraphite structure 2214 may be produced by including a different amountof layers of graphite in different regions of the graphite structure(e.g., fewer graphite layers in the thinner regions of the graphitestructure 2214).

FIG. 23 depicts an example schematic diagram of an electronic device2300. The electronic device 2300 may be an embodiment of or otherwiserepresent the device 100 (or other devices described herein, such as thedevices 100, 140, 200, 300, 400, 550, 960, 1000, 1100, 1210, 1220, 1230,1430, 1500, 1600, 2100 or the like). The device 2300 includes one ormore processing units 2301 that are configured to access a memory 2302having instructions stored thereon. The instructions or computerprograms may be configured to perform one or more of the operations orfunctions described with respect to the electronic devices describedherein. For example, the instructions may be configured to control orcoordinate the operation of one or more displays 2308, one or more touchsensors 2303, one or more force sensors 2305, one or more communicationchannels 2304, one or more audio input systems 2309, one or more audiooutput systems 2310, one or more positioning systems 2311, one or moresensors 2312, and/or one or more haptic feedback devices 2306.

The processing units 2301 of FIG. 23 may be implemented as anyelectronic device capable of processing, receiving, or transmitting dataor instructions. For example, the processing units 2301 may include oneor more of: a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU), anapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signalprocessor (DSP), or combinations of such devices. As described herein,the term “processor” is meant to encompass a single processor orprocessing unit, multiple processors, multiple processing units, orother suitably configured computing element or elements. The processingunits 2301 may be coupled to a circuit board assembly, such as thecircuit board assemblies 220, 320, 500, 555, 2200.

The memory 2302 can store electronic data that can be used by the device2300. For example, a memory can store electrical data or content suchas, for example, audio and video files, images, documents andapplications, device settings and user preferences, programs,instructions, timing and control signals or data for the variousmodules, data structures or databases, and so on. The memory 2302 can beconfigured as any type of memory. By way of example only, the memory canbe implemented as random access memory, read-only memory, Flash memory,removable memory, or other types of storage elements, or combinations ofsuch devices. The memory 2302 may be coupled to a circuit boardassembly, such as the circuit board assemblies 220, 320, 500, 555, 2200.

The touch sensors 2303 may detect various types of touch-based inputsand generate signals or data that are able to be accessed usingprocessor instructions. The touch sensors 2303 may use any suitablecomponents and may rely on any suitable phenomena to detect physicalinputs. For example, the touch sensors 2303 may be capacitive touchsensors, resistive touch sensors, acoustic wave sensors, or the like.The touch sensors 2303 may include any suitable components for detectingtouch-based inputs and generating signals or data that are able to beaccessed using processor instructions, including electrodes (e.g.,electrode layers), physical components (e.g., substrates, spacinglayers, structural supports, compressible elements, etc.), processors,circuitry, firmware, and the like. The touch sensors 2303 may beintegrated with or otherwise configured to detect touch inputs appliedto any portion of the device 2300. For example, the touch sensors 2303may be configured to detect touch inputs applied to any portion of thedevice 2300 that includes a display (and may be integrated with adisplay). The touch sensors 2303 may operate in conjunction with theforce sensors 2305 to generate signals or data in response to touchinputs. A touch sensor or force sensor that is positioned over a displaysurface or otherwise integrated with a display may be referred to hereinas a touch-sensitive display, force-sensitive display, or touchscreen.

The force sensors 2305 may detect various types of force-based inputsand generate signals or data that are able to be accessed usingprocessor instructions. The force sensors 2305 may use any suitablecomponents and may rely on any suitable phenomena to detect physicalinputs. For example, the force sensors 2305 may be strain-based sensors,piezoelectric-based sensors, piezoresistive-based sensors, capacitivesensors, resistive sensors, or the like. The force sensors 2305 mayinclude any suitable components for detecting force-based inputs andgenerating signals or data that are able to be accessed using processorinstructions, including electrodes (e.g., electrode layers), physicalcomponents (e.g., substrates, spacing layers, structural supports,compressible elements, etc.), processors, circuitry, firmware, and thelike. The force sensors 2305 may be used in conjunction with variousinput mechanisms to detect various types of inputs. For example, theforce sensors 2305 may be used to detect presses or other force inputsthat satisfy a force threshold (which may represent a more forcefulinput than is typical for a standard “touch” input). Like the touchsensors 2303, the force sensors 2305 may be integrated with or otherwiseconfigured to detect force inputs applied to any portion of the device2300. For example, the force sensors 2305 may be configured to detectforce inputs applied to any portion of the device 2300 that includes adisplay (and may be integrated with a display). The force sensors 2305may operate in conjunction with the touch sensors 2303 to generatesignals or data in response to touch- and/or force-based inputs.

The device 2300 may also include one or more haptic devices 2306 (e.g.,the haptic actuator 222, 322 of FIGS. 2-3 ). The haptic device 2306 mayinclude one or more of a variety of haptic technologies such as, but notnecessarily limited to, rotational haptic devices, linear actuators,piezoelectric devices, vibration elements, and so on. In general, thehaptic device 2306 may be configured to provide punctuated and distinctfeedback to a user of the device. More particularly, the haptic device2306 may be adapted to produce a knock or tap sensation and/or avibration sensation. Such haptic outputs may be provided in response todetection of touch and/or force inputs, and may be imparted to a userthrough the exterior surface of the device 2300 (e.g., via a glass orother surface that acts as a touch- and/or force-sensitive display orsurface).

The one or more communication channels 2304 may include one or morewireless interface(s) that are adapted to provide communication betweenthe processing unit(s) 2301 and an external device. The one or morecommunication channels 2304 may include antennas (e.g., antennas thatinclude or use the housing components of the housings 104, 210, 310 asradiating members), communications circuitry, firmware, software, or anyother components or systems that facilitate wireless communications withother devices. In general, the one or more communication channels 2304may be configured to transmit and receive data and/or signals that maybe interpreted by instructions executed on the processing units 2301. Insome cases, the external device is part of an external communicationnetwork that is configured to exchange data with wireless devices.Generally, the wireless interface may communicate via, withoutlimitation, radio frequency, optical, acoustic, and/or magnetic signalsand may be configured to operate over a wireless interface or protocol.Example wireless interfaces include radio frequency cellular interfaces(e.g., 2G, 3G, 4G, 4G long-term evolution (LTE), 5G, GSM, CDMA, or thelike), fiber optic interfaces, acoustic interfaces, Bluetoothinterfaces, infrared interfaces, USB interfaces, Wi-Fi interfaces,TCP/IP interfaces, network communications interfaces, or anyconventional communication interfaces. The one or more communicationschannels 2304 may also include ultra-wideband (UWB) interfaces, whichmay include any appropriate communications circuitry, instructions, andnumber and position of suitable UWB antennas.

As shown in FIG. 23 , the device 2300 may include a battery 2307 that isused to store and provide power to the other components of the device2300. The battery 2307 may be a rechargeable power supply that isconfigured to provide power to the device 2300. The battery 2307 may becoupled to charging systems (e.g., wired and/or wireless chargingsystems) and/or other circuitry to control the electrical power providedto the battery 2307 and to control the electrical power provided fromthe battery 2307 to the device 2300.

The device 2300 may also include one or more displays 2308 configured todisplay graphical outputs. The displays 2308 may use any suitabledisplay technology, including liquid crystal displays (LCD), organiclight emitting diodes (OLED), active-matrix organic light-emitting diodedisplays (AMOLED), or the like. The displays 2308 may display graphicaluser interfaces, images, icons, or any other suitable graphical outputs.The display 2308 may correspond to a display 103, 203, or other displaysdescribed herein.

The device 2300 may also provide audio input functionality via one ormore audio input systems 2309. The audio input systems 2309 may includemicrophones, transducers, or other devices that capture sound for voicecalls, video calls, audio recordings, video recordings, voice commands,and the like.

The device 2300 may also provide audio output functionality via one ormore audio output systems (e.g., speakers) 2310, such as the speakersystems and/or modules 224, 250, 324, 350. The audio output systems 2310may produce sound from voice calls, video calls, streaming or localaudio content, streaming or local video content, or the like.

The device 2300 may also include a positioning system 2311. Thepositioning system 2311 may be configured to determine the location ofthe device 2300. For example, the positioning system 2311 may includemagnetometers, gyroscopes, accelerometers, optical sensors, cameras,global positioning system (GPS) receivers, inertial positioning systems,or the like. The positioning system 2311 may be used to determinespatial parameters of the device 2300, such as the location of thedevice 2300 (e.g., geographical coordinates of the device), measurementsor estimates of physical movement of the device 2300, an orientation ofthe device 2300, or the like.

The device 2300 may also include one or more additional sensors 2312 toreceive inputs (e.g., from a user or another computer, device, system,network, etc.) or to detect any suitable property or parameter of thedevice, the environment surrounding the device, people, or thingsinteracting with the device (or nearby the device), or the like. Forexample, a device may include temperature sensors, biometric sensors(e.g., fingerprint sensors, photoplethysmographs, blood-oxygen sensors,blood sugar sensors, or the like), eye-tracking sensors, retinalscanners, humidity sensors, buttons, switches, lid-closure sensors, orthe like.

To the extent that multiple functionalities, operations, and structuresdescribed with reference to FIG. 23 are disclosed as being part of,incorporated into, or performed by the device 2300, it should beunderstood that various embodiments may omit any or all such describedfunctionalities, operations, and structures. Thus, different embodimentsof the device 2300 may have some, none, or all of the variouscapabilities, apparatuses, physical features, modes, and operatingparameters discussed herein. Further, the systems included in the device2300 are not exclusive, and the device 2300 may include alternative oradditional systems, components, modules, programs, instructions, or thelike, that may be necessary or useful to perform the functions describedherein.

As described above, one aspect of the present technology is thegathering and use of data available from various sources to improve theusefulness and functionality of devices such as mobile phones. Thepresent disclosure contemplates that in some instances, this gathereddata may include personal information data that uniquely identifies orcan be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personalinformation data can include demographic data, location-based data,telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter IDs, home addresses, data orrecords relating to a user's health or level of fitness (e.g., vitalsigns measurements, medication information, exercise information), dateof birth, or any other identifying or personal information.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personalinformation data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefitof users. For example, the personal information data can be used tolocate devices, deliver targeted content that is of greater interest tothe user, or the like. Further, other uses for personal information datathat benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure.For instance, health and fitness data may be used to provide insightsinto a user's general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback toindividuals using technology to pursue wellness goals.

The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible forthe collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use ofsuch personal information data will comply with well-established privacypolicies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities shouldimplement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining personal information data private andsecure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users, and shouldbe updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personalinformation from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonableuses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimateuses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving theinformed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities shouldconsider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access tosuch personal information data and ensuring that others with access tothe personal information data adhere to their privacy policies andprocedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluationby third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacypolicies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should beadapted for the particular types of personal information data beingcollected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards,including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the US,collection of or access to certain health data may be governed byfederal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability andAccountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries maybe subject to other regulations and policies and should be handledaccordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained fordifferent personal data types in each country.

Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplatesembodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to,personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplatesthat hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent orblock access to such personal information data. For example, in the caseof advertisement delivery services, the present technology can beconfigured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” ofparticipation in the collection of personal information data duringregistration for services or anytime thereafter. In addition toproviding “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosurecontemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use ofpersonal information. For instance, a user may be notified upondownloading an app that their personal information data will be accessedand then reminded again just before personal information data isaccessed by the app.

Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personalinformation data should be managed and handled in a way to minimizerisks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can beminimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once itis no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including incertain health related applications, data de-identification can be usedto protect a user's privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, whenappropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth,etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g.,collecting location data at a city level rather than at an addresslevel), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data acrossusers), and/or other methods.

Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use ofpersonal information data to implement one or more various disclosedembodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the variousembodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing suchpersonal information data. That is, the various embodiments of thepresent technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all ora portion of such personal information data. For example, content can beselected and delivered to users by inferring preferences based onnon-personal information data or a bare minimum amount of personalinformation, such as the content being requested by the deviceassociated with a user, other non-personal information available to thecontent delivery services, or publicly available information.

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the describedembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe specific details are not required in order to practice the describedembodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specificembodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustrationand description. They are not targeted to be exhaustive or to limit theembodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to oneof ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations arepossible in view of the above teachings. Also, when used herein to referto positions of components, the terms above, below, over, under, left,or right (or other similar relative position terms), do not necessarilyrefer to an absolute position relative to an external reference, butinstead refer to the relative position of components within the figurebeing referred to. Similarly, horizontal and vertical orientations maybe understood as relative to the orientation of the components withinthe figure being referred to, unless an absolute horizontal or verticalorientation is indicated.

Features, structures, configurations, components, techniques, etc. shownor described with respect to any given figure (or otherwise described inthe application) may be used with features, structures, configurations,components, techniques, etc. described with respect to other figures.For example, any given figure of the instant application should not beunderstood to be limited to only those features, structures,configurations, components, techniques, etc. shown in that particularfigure. Similarly, features, structures, configurations, components,techniques, etc. shown only in different figures may be used orimplemented together. Further, features, structures, configurations,components, techniques, etc. that are shown or described together may beimplemented separately and/or combined with other features, structures,configurations, components, techniques, etc. from other figures orportions of the instant specification. Further, for ease of illustrationand explanation, figures of the instant application may depict certaincomponents and/or sub-assemblies in isolation from other componentsand/or sub-assemblies of an electronic device, though it will beunderstood that components and sub-assemblies that are illustrated inisolation may in some cases be considered different portions of a singleelectronic device (e.g., a single embodiment that includes multiple ofthe illustrated components and/or sub-assemblies).

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile phone comprising: an enclosure definingan internal volume, the enclosure comprising: a front cover formed froma transparent material and defining a front exterior surface of themobile phone; a rear cover formed from a glass material and defining arear exterior surface of the mobile phone; and a housing componentdefining a side exterior surface of the mobile phone; and a circuitboard assembly within the internal volume and comprising: a circuitboard; a circuit component coupled to an exterior surface of the circuitboard; and a cowling coupled to the circuit board and covering thecircuit component, the cowling having a thickness less than about 0.5 mmand comprising: a base structure formed from an aluminum alloy having athickness less than about 0.4 mm; and a thermally conductive structurepositioned over the base structure and configured to dissipate heat fromthe circuit board assembly.
 2. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein thealuminum alloy is a 7475 series aluminum alloy.
 3. The mobile phone ofclaim 1, wherein the thermally conductive structure comprises graphite.4. The mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductivestructure comprises a multi-layer structure including: a plurality ofgraphite layers; and a plurality of adhesive layers.
 5. The mobile phoneof claim 1, wherein: the thermally conductive structure is a firstthermally conductive structure; the cowling is coupled to a first sideof the circuit board assembly; and the circuit board assembly furthercomprises a second thermally conductive structure positioned on thesecond side of the circuit board assembly.
 6. The mobile phone of claim5, wherein: the enclosure includes a front cover assembly; the frontcover assembly comprises the front cover; and the mobile phone furthercomprises: a first thermal bridge coupled to the first thermallyconductive structure and thermally coupling the circuit board assemblyto the front cover assembly; and a second thermal bridge coupled to thesecond thermally conductive structure and thermally coupling the circuitboard assembly to an internal structure of the enclosure.
 7. The mobilephone of claim 1, wherein: the cowling defines a bend segment extendingfrom a main portion of the cowling to a raised portion of the cowling;and the bend segment has bend radius that is greater than about 0.5 mm.8. The mobile phone of claim 7, wherein a thickness of the cowling inthe raised portion is less than a thickness of the cowling in the mainportion.
 9. A portable electronic device comprising: an enclosurecomprising: a housing structure; a front cover assembly coupled to thehousing structure and comprising a first transparent member defining afront surface of the portable electronic device; and a rear coverassembly coupled to the housing structure and comprising a secondtransparent member defining a rear surface of the portable electronicdevice; a display at least partially within the enclosure and below thefront cover assembly; a battery at least partially within the enclosure;and a circuit board assembly at least partially within the enclosure andcomprising: a circuit board; and a cowling coupled to the circuit boardand defining an exterior surface of the circuit board assembly, thecowling comprising: an aluminum alloy base structure; and a graphitelayer over the aluminum alloy base structure.
 10. The portableelectronic device of claim 9, wherein the cowling covers substantiallyan entire top surface of the circuit board.
 11. The portable electronicdevice of claim 10, wherein: the circuit board assembly comprises: afirst circuit component coupled to the top surface of the circuit board;and a second circuit component coupled to the top surface of the circuitboard; and the cowling covers the first circuit component and the secondcircuit component.
 12. The portable electronic device of claim 9,wherein the aluminum alloy base structure is formed of a 7475 seriesaluminum alloy.
 13. The portable electronic device of claim 12, whereinthe aluminum alloy base structure has a thickness less than about 0.4mm.
 14. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein: the graphitelayer is a first graphite layer; the cowling is coupled to a first sideof the circuit board assembly; and the circuit board assembly furthercomprises a multi-layer thermally conductive structure coupled to asecond side of the circuit board assembly and comprising: a plurality ofsecond graphite layers; and a plurality of adhesive layers.
 15. Theportable electronic device of claim 9, wherein: the circuit board is afirst circuit board; and the circuit board assembly further comprises: awall structure coupled to the first circuit board; and a second circuitboard coupled to the wall structure and supported above the firstcircuit board by the wall structure.
 16. An electronic devicecomprising: a display; a battery; and an enclosure enclosing the displayand the battery, the enclosure comprising: a front cover assemblydefining a front exterior surface of the electronic device; a rear coverassembly defining a rear exterior surface of the electronic device; anda housing component comprising: a first wall section defining a firstside exterior surface of the electronic device; a second wall sectiondefining a second side exterior surface opposite to the first sideexterior surface; and a mid-chassis section extending between the firstwall section and the second wall section; a circuit board assemblycoupled to the mid-chassis section and defining a first peripheral sideproximate the first wall section of the housing component and a secondperipheral side opposite the first peripheral side; and a thermal bridgethermally coupling the circuit board assembly to the mid-chassissection, the thermal bridge positioned proximate the first peripheralside of the circuit board assembly.
 17. The electronic device of claim16, wherein a center of the thermal bridge is offset from a midline ofthe circuit board assembly.
 18. The electronic device of claim 16,wherein: the thermal bridge is a first thermal bridge; and theelectronic device further comprises a second thermal bridge thermallycoupling the circuit board assembly to the front cover assembly.
 19. Theelectronic device of claim 16, wherein: the thermal bridge is a firstthermal bridge; the circuit board assembly defines: a first segmentextending along a first side of the battery; and a second segmentextending along a second side of the battery, the second sideperpendicular to the first side; the first thermal bridge is positionedon the first segment of the circuit board assembly; and the electronicdevice further comprises a second thermal bridge positioned on thesecond segment of the circuit board assembly.
 20. The electronic deviceof claim 19, wherein: the circuit board assembly further comprises: afirst cowling coupled to the first segment of the circuit board assemblyand covering a first circuit component of the circuit board assembly; asecond cowling coupled to the second segment of the circuit boardassembly and covering a second circuit component of the circuit boardassembly; and a thermally conductive structure extending over both thefirst cowling and the second cowling; and the first thermal bridge andthe second thermal bridge are coupled to the thermally conductivestructure.